Boston
by cheekmagnet
Summary: Problems ensue when friendships and relationships begin to cause conflicts. Cadley.
1. Buds

**Hi all! I'm back with another one. Hopefully y'all enjoy this too =)**

**I actually forgot to put this in during my first fic, so here goes:**

**I do not own House or its characters. This is a mere product of wishful thinking :p**

**Of course, much thanks to Birthofthephoenix****! This is for you!**

**Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**"Patient dead yet?" House asked as he walked inside the diagnostics room. He scanned the room and eyed the four doctors before him: Foreman was sitting on his usual seat with his arms crossed, criticizing him silently. Taub did not even bother turn to look at him, and just continued making himself some coffee. Chase and Thirteen sat in front of each other, with Chase staring at his laptop and Thirteen reading the patient's file, both still wearing the clothes they did the day before.

"No," Thirteen answered, her eyes still set on the file. She rested her elbows on the table and nursed her temple with her fingers. Her headache that started a few hours before was starting to intensify. "That is actually unfortunate for her, because now the pain had spread throughout her entire body. We had to sedate her."

House walked to the door leading to his office and opened it just enough for him to be able to throw his backpack to his chair. He then closed the door and walked towards the table. "The pain is a symptom. Foreman, take the patient off the meds and ask her about the pain."

Foreman furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, and then stood up. House did not flinch a bit, but Foreman's immediate action had actually surprised him. He had expected him to disagree and come up a way to communicate with the patient without inflicting her pain.

"And call me if she gets whiny and uncooperative," he said as Foreman walked past him. The neurologist only rolled his eyes and continued walking towards the door.

Taub finished preparing his coffee and was now sitting beside Thirteen, just watching House. It was like he was waiting for his turn in getting House's attention.

"Taub," House called. Taub raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment and waited for what followed.

"Clinic hours."

His own silent prediction fulfilled, Taub sighed and then rose from his seat, his coffee mug in hand. House watched him as he walked to the door. A hint of worry was almost visible in the diagnostician's eyes as he eyed Taub walk out of the office and through the hall.

House's thoughts at that moment were disrupted when he saw Cuddy walking in the direction opposite of where Taub was going. He figured that she was probably just passing by, but when Cuddy glanced at the diagnostics room from the hall, he became certain that she was there to speak to him. As if bracing himself, he tightened his grip on his cane and turned slightly towards the door.

"I need a name," she announced as she opened the door. Both Chase and Thirteen glanced at her, but soon realized that her question was addressed to House and went back to their own business.

"I'm not good with hooker names," House quipped as Cuddy walked towards him. He raised his cane and pointed it towards the office next to his. "Ask Wilson."

Cuddy raised her eyebrow at him and then rested her hands on her hips. "There's a conference in Boston next week, and I need a representative from your team to attend."

"No can do." House answered immediately, pulling the chair in front of him. He took a seat and then turned his head towards Cuddy, who was now giving him a stern look.

He set his cane on the table and then held up his palms towards Chase and Thirteen, as if presenting them. "The kids have tons of homework."

Cuddy crossed her arms. She was obviously having a bad morning, and was unwilling to indulge House any longer. "You've always functioned fine with three doctors. One doctor attending a conference for a week won't hurt. Give me a name, or else, I'll make you fire one of them and make you permanently work with three doctors."

House turned towards the two remaining doctors in front of him. Thirteen had transferred to the seat next to Chase, and both were looking at what seemed to be a video being shown on the laptop screen. He narrowed his eyes at them for a second. _Interesting_, he thought.

"Hey, pretty boy!" House called out. He decided that he would deal with Cuddy first, and them later.

Both Chase and Thirteen turned and looked to his direction. House's face lit up in amusement of their reaction.

"Well I guess that works for both of you," he murmured. "But I was talking to the prettier one this time. Chase?"

Thirteen looked down in embarrassment and turned her attention back to the video still playing on the screen, while Chase looked curiously at House. "What's up?" he asked.

"You're going to Boston next week," House instructed. He then looked at Cuddy with an exaggerated grin on his face. "Are you happy now?"

Cuddy let out an exhausted sigh and then faced Chase. "I will send you the details later today." Getting a nod from the surgeon, she then turned away from the three doctors and stepped out of the diagnostics room.

House followed her with his eyes to the hall for a few seconds, and then turned his attention back towards Chase and Thirteen. They had gotten back to watching the video and were both giggling. He found it a strange sight to see, considering none of his fellows have ever had a close relationship with another fellow.

Well, unless they're dating.

"You two," he called out again. The two turned towards him, a questioning look on both their faces. Seeing that he had gotten their attention, House grabbed his cane on the table and stood up, "Go take a shower."

Thirteen stood up and walked to the other side of the table to grab her things, while Chase proceeded on turning off his laptop. House turned towards his office and walked a few steps closer to the door before turning back again towards them.

"I meant separate showers."

* * *

"What was that all about?" Chase asked as he and Thirteen walked out of the diagnostics room.

Thirteen ran her fingers through her hair and glanced briefly at House inside his own office. He was looking at them curiously, and she knew why. "It freaks him out that we get along. I bet he thinks we've already done it."

Chase's eyes widened for a second, but he continued walking. "That's ridiculous!"

Thirteen simply gave him a knowing smirk. "Come on! House's imagination is on overdrive. He sees smoke; he thinks a freaking forest fire. Don't act like you don't already know that."

Chase nodded lightly in agreement and continued walking with the brunette towards the elevator. Upon reaching the area, Chase pressed the button and then looked around, as if watching out for anyone who might hear what he was about to say. Thirteen watched him, curious as to what was causing Chase's weird actions.

Seeing that there wasn't anyone near enough to hear them, he hesitatingly leaned in closer to Thirteen and lowered down his voice to almost a whisper.

"For the record, I find you attractive, but I—"

"Ok this is weird!" Thirteen immediately said, cutting Chase off as she took a step away from him.

Chase looked around worriedly, and then faced her again. "No, let me finish," he explained, his voice still as low as it was before. "I think you're attractive, but I am not attracted to you. It's just an objective observation."

Thirteen pursed her lips, somehow embarrassed for cutting Chase off and assuming that he was attracted to her. She actually felt thankful that he had put it out in the open right away; at least they could clear things up between themselves before House creates a whole bunch of rumors about them.

"Thanks! And don't worry, same here." she told him. She gave Chase a smile, which he returned right away. She felt relieved that she and Chase had settled that, because in as much as she likes his company, she was not, in any way, even remotely attracted to him.

The elevator door opened seconds after that, and the two doctors stepped in. As the door was about to close, Chase glanced towards Thirteen and reached out his hand for a handshake.

"Friends?"

Thirteen looked at Chase's outstretched arm and shook his hand, smiles returning to both their faces.

"Of course."

* * *

**This is really more of a prologue. Please be not mistaken. This is not a Chase/13 fic.**

**Oh and yes, the title is again a song title (like Collide). I think I have a thing for using song titles as fic titles, or maybe that's because songs inspire me to write fics.**

**Or something like that.**

**/blabber**


	2. Confirmed

**Thanks for the reviews guys!**

**And yes, the title pertains to the song from Augustana. Can't say for sure if the story will be related to the song in any other way aside from the conference being held in Boston.**

**Here's the next chapter!**

**

* * *

**"You called?" Chase asked, his head sticking out of the door to Cuddy's office.

Cuddy, who was talking on the phone, silently motioned for him to come in. Chase followed her and walked into the office, taking a seat on the chair in front of the dean's table as he waited for her.

"Yes, please, thank you." Cuddy finally said before putting down her phone. She stared blankly at Chase for a few seconds, like she had no idea why he was there.

Chase immediately read the confusion in Cuddy's face. "You said you'd give me the details for the—"

"Oh yes! The conference!" Cuddy interrupted, her eyes immediately scanning her desk, which was almost completely covered with paper. She searched for a while before finally taking a bunch of papers which were neatly stapled together. "Here."

Chase took the papers from Cuddy and read through it. "Great, a three-hour drive alone to listen to old timers share war stories."

"There won't be old timers." Cuddy answered, looking through the rest of the papers on her table. "If you had actually read the header, you'd see that the theme of the conference is the future of medicine."

Chase glanced at the upper portion of the paper and tilted his head sideways. "Cool."

"You still have to confirm your registration online. The website is stated in there somewhere." Cuddy said, still sifting through the paperwork before her. Chase nodded and stood up, immediately heading for the door.

* * *

Thirteen entered the diagnostics room and was greeted with the sight of what seems to look like a dumbfounded Chase. He was staring at the screen of his laptop, motionless. He didn't even seem to notice that he wasn't alone in the room anymore.

Thinking that he's checking on something related to the case, Thirteen walked silently towards the table, careful not to startle her colleague.

She pulled a chair slowly, and took a seat. Chase glanced at her blankly for a few seconds, and then stared at the laptop again.

"What's up?" she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Chase looked up at her, his face all serious. "I can't go to the conference."

Thirteen's eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"

Chase leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms. He eyed his laptop with disgust. "I just can't."

"Wait," Thirteen responded, a little confused. "You're pissed because you can't attend the conference?"

Chase leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. He had his head down, resting it on his palms. He was obviously tense and unable to keep still. "No, I don't want to go to the conference."

Thirteen was about to ask why when Chase suddenly pushed his laptop towards her. It was then that she realized that the list of confirmed attendees was on the screen. The list somehow gave Thirteen an idea of why Chase didn't want to attend. But it was not until she checked the names on the list that her suspicion was confirmed.

The 30th person on the list was Allison Cameron.

Chase was looking at her now, gauging for her reaction.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," she said, pushing the laptop back towards him. "As the list shows there will be a lot of doctors there, you might not even see each other."

"It's not unlikely enough." Chase answered, taking back the laptop and closing it. "I'll ask Cuddy to assign someone else."

"But it's not like she'll create a scene there," Thirteen argued. "Worst case scenario is that she'll ignore you. And besides, it might even do you guys some good, to be able to talk again, you know."

Chase let out a sigh. "No," he muttered, shaking his head slowly. He let his eyes roam around the room before meeting the brunette's. "Just no."

Now certain that she won't be able to convince Chase, Thirteen simply shrugged her shoulders and looked at him contentedly. "Ok. I'm just saying that I think it won't be too bad to see her again."

Chase, upon hearing Thirteen's response, sported a look like an idea had just hit him.

"How about you do it?"

Thirteen, who was then fishing for her phone from her lab coat pocket, stopped and turned her head towards Chase. "What?"

"Would you like to attend the conference?"

The brunette's eyes widened for a moment. "What? Why me?"

Chase shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing. It's just that you're not really close, so it's not like there's going to be some awkwardness. It's just like what you said; best case scenario is that you end up being acquaintances. God knows you two did not talk much when she was here"

The suggestion caught Thirteen off guard. She was trying to convince Chase to go, and not volunteering herself into being the one attending the conference.

Going was certainly not something she wanted, but it was not something she wouldn't want to do either.

"I g-I guess I don't mind."

Chase grinned at her and then stood up almost instantly. "Great! I'll go tell Cuddy!"

Panic-stricken, Thirteen stood up in the calmest manner that she could pull off. "Wait! What about House?"

Chase, who was already making his way towards the door, turned towards her with a smile on his face. "I'll take care of him. Thanks Thirteen!"

Thirteen just smiled at her colleague. "No problem."

Seeing Chase walk off towards the elevator, Thirteen sunk back into her seat and crossed her arms.

_I guess attending won't be so bad_, she thought. _It might actually be a good learning experience._

She figured that Chase was right; she and Cameron barely spoke even when they were in a small environment such as the hospital, and everything was OK. A week in a conference with tons of other doctors would be fine.

_Right?_

Later that night, Thirteen sat in front of her laptop, the conference details paper she got from Cuddy on hand. She stared at her screen, particularly at the text boxes where, as the papers instructed, she is supposed to enter her name to confirm her attendance.

_Why do I feel like this is exactly the situation Chase was in a while ago?_ She thought to herself. She felt odd because she was hesitating.

_It's just a conference_, she told herself. _Just like the other ones I've attended before. The only thing different is that Cameron would be there._

Refusing to admit that she was beginning to feel nervous, the brunette placed the paper on her lap and began typing her name into the online registration form.

She smirked at the screen as she entered her name, as if congratulating herself.

As the page refreshed, she scanned through the list and found what she was looking for:

_Dr. Remy Hadley; Princeton Plainsboro (CONFIRMED)_

_

* * *

_**I guess that will do for now. Hopefully I'll be able to write more/update earlier next week since the holidays are coming up over here.**

**Again, thanks to BirthofthePhoenix for the idea behind this! I hope I was able to execute it properly:)**

**Thanks for reading everyone!**


	3. Unsaid

**Yes, it's an update! =)**

**Hope y'all enjoy this.**

* * *

Setting her cup back on the table, Cameron held her glasses by its rim and readjusted it so it rested perfectly on the bridge of her nose. She had just bought the pair, impulsively, much like most of her purchases the past weeks. The awkward feeling that came with getting used to them felt like the punishment for it.

"More people should be like her," she said to no one in particular. She was sitting on her couch in her apartment, staring at her laptop while reading an online news article about the efforts being done by a certain group of artists to help those affected by the recent earthquake in Haiti.

It had been a couple of months since she left Chase and Princeton Plainsboro, and she had done much since then. She went back to Chicago and stayed with her parents for a while, only to return to New Jersey a few weeks after. She found an apartment an hour away from Princeton, and had found a way to master steering clear of places Chase usually goes to.

Reaching the end of the article, she closed the browser, only to see her calendar displayed on her desktop. She skimmed through the dates, and stumbled upon the entry for the following week.

_March 8: Future of Medicine Conference_, it read. For a moment she was clueless as to why such an entry was in there, but soon remembered that she had signed up for it a couple of days back. She figured that she was sent an invite only because the organizers assumed she still works at Princeton Plainsboro, but decided to attend nonetheless. She hadn't been able to interact with other doctors for a while, and besides, it sounded like a good conference.

Cameron typed in the name of the official website for the conference and searched for the list of confirmed attendees, deciding that it might also be a chance to be able to meet up with old friends from med school. Her screen was soon populated with names, and she tried to go through each, hoping to come across her friends' names.

She did find a familiar name, but the fact that it was familiar was what surprised her.

_Dr. Remy Hadley; Princeton Plainsboro (CONFIRMED)_

She leaned in closer to the screen, making sure that she did not misread.

_Dr. Remy Hadley_, it still read.

Relief washed over her somehow, knowing that it was Thirteen attending the conference and not Chase, or worse, House. She was nowhere ready to bump into her ex-husband or ex-boss anytime soon.

She set her laptop on the space beside her and took her cup from the table. It was empty, so she stood and walked towards the kitchen, setting the cup and the saucer that came with it on the sink.

_I guess I don't have to worry about making small talk_, she thought, as she walked back to her living room. She did not know the younger doctor that well, but from the few times that they conversed, she knew that Thirteen wasn't the type to make conversation just for the sake of it.

Settling herself on the couch again, she took her laptop from her side and placed it on her lap. Thirteen's name was still displayed in the middle of the screen.

_I guess I'll see you soon, Dr. Hadley._

_

* * *

_A couple of days later, the team had finally solved their case. Chase and Thirteen stood by the hall and looked on as House talked to the patient inside the ICU. Their patient turned out to have purchased an experimental energy drink that hadn't been approved, which was what caused her intense muscle pain after all.

The smile on the patient's face became their cue that House was done bringing the good news. Seeing their boss nodding them off as he headed out of the room, the two doctors walked off as well and made their way to the locker room.

"So, you're all set for tomorrow?" Chase asked.

Thirteen turned her head towards the direction House went, and then back. "Yeah. Which reminds me, told House yet?"

Chase furrowed his eyebrows. "No, why, you're scared of House now?"

"What? Hell no!" Thirteen answered defensively. "I was just asking!"

Chase opened the door to the locker room for both of them and then headed for his locker. "If you don't want to go then tell me," he said, opening his locker. "I can ask someone else to do it."

Thirteen opened her locker as well and took her bag out. "No, it's OK."

"I just don't get why you're worrying about House," Chase responded. He took out his jacket and his bag from his locker and then closed it. "It's not like you're going to be the one left here to deal with him. You'll be hours away when he finds out."

"I was not worrying," Thirteen answered back, closing her locker as well. She turned towards Chase, who was standing a few feet from her. "Like I said, I was just asking."

"Fine," Chase shrugged, stretching out his arm and motioning for Thirteen to walk ahead of him. They exited the locker room together and walked towards the hospital's main door in silence.

"So," Chase muttered as they reached the parking lot. Their cars were parked in opposite sides of the lot, and he figured this was where they'd separate. "I'll see you next, next week then?"

Thirteen ran her fingers through her hair and gave her teammate a weak smile. "Yeah."

Chase returned the smile and nodded lightly as he turned to his right and scanned the space before him, staring blankly into space. Thirteen stood there and watched him, somehow aware of what he was going through. "Anything you want me to say to her?"

Shaking his head slowly, he turned back towards Thirteen and looked her in the eye.

"Nothing."

Thirteen pursed her lips and then nodded, knowing that it's best not to meddle. She turned towards the direction of her car, and began walking to it.

Finally reaching her car, she reached for her key inside her bag. She heard the sound of a car drive by, and saw that Chase had gone ahead of her, speeding away into the street.

She got in her car and threw her bag at the passenger seat. She couldn't help but ponder on the conversation she just had with Chase.

Was House finding out that they switched the thing she was worried about? Or was it what he will say when he finds out?

House had always been making ridiculous remarks about how it was impossible for her not to find Cameron attractive, even when the older doctor was still at the hospital. She had been able to fully manage them showing no reaction, but the truth was that they always made her feel uncomfortable.

She had also never let herself wonder on why it was so, and simply assumed that it was because House seemed to only make the absurd comments whenever Chase was in the room. To her, it was the only logical explanation.

But that was then, when they barely talked, let alone see each other. Now they're going to the same conference, attending the same talks, most likely staying at the same hotel, for five straight days.

"He'll most likely have a field day with it," she said under her breath as she started her car.

_Well it's not like Chase is going to be affected by anything House says, especially when it's something as ridiculous as that_, she said to herself as she walked through the hall to her apartment. She stopped by her door and opened it, dropping her bag along with her jacket on her couch as she made her way to her bed.

She took a seat and then slowly leaned back, lying comfortably on her soft bed. It had been a long day, and her body had been aching for some rest. Taking off her shoes with her own foot, she pushed herself upwards into the middle of the bed, closed her eyes, and just let her body relax.

_Packing this morning was a great idea_, she thought. She turned sideways and opened her eyes slightly. She eyed the bag that was set on the other side of the room just to make sure she didn't just imagine packing her clothes that morning.

Still looking at her bag, she figured that there was really nothing to worry about in terms of what will happen during the conference. All the stress she had felt was probably due to the case that they had just handled, and of course, House.

_I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Dr. Cameron._

_

* * *

_The following morning, Chase sat in the diagnostics room along with Taub and Foreman, while waiting for House. Cuddy passed by them a few minutes before, bearing a file for a potential case. They reminded her that since they had just finished one the day before, it was unlikely that House would take a new one for at least a few days.

"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else?" Taub asked.

Chase, who was reading the newspaper at that moment, glanced at Taub and gave him a smug look. "Yeah."

Unsatisfied but also unwilling to ask any further, Taub simply shrugged, stood up, and made his way to the coffee machine.

"How did you convince her to take your place?" Foreman asked, clearly figuring out what had happened.

Chase was about to answer when he heard the door open. It was House.

"Morning ladies," he quipped. He walked towards the table and set his backpack down on it. "Rented us a new set of pornos."

He was halfway turning towards his office, but he turned back and looked at Chase with a bewildered reaction. "It's either you thought you could pass off as Thirteen and she could pass of as you, or you forgot about your conference," he said. He turned around again, completely this time, and walked towards his office.

"Either way you're a moron," he said again as he opened the door to his office. "You aren't even butch enough to pass off as Thirteen!"

Chase just stared at the table and shook his head, while Foreman just looked at him blankly and Taub snickered. _It's going to be a long week,_ he thought.

House pushed the door to his office slightly with his cane and stuck his head out. "Get in here Aussie."

Letting out a large breath, Chase stood up from his seat and walked to House's office. House had already gone back to his seat, his laptop in front of him. Chase knew this was not a good sign.

"Thirteen attended the conference instead of me," he started, deciding that it was better to just let it all out rather than to be slowly trapped into admitting things.

"Yeah, I got that when I saw that you were here and she wasn't." House answered, his eyes set on his laptop's screen. "Why?"

Chase walked to the chair in front of House's table and sat on it. "Cameron is going to be there, and I didn't want to bump into her there."

House stared at the ceiling and nodded a couple of times, as if trying to consider Chase's answer. "And you're ok with Thirteen bumping into her there?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Chase answered, shrugging his shoulder.

"Oh I don't know," House responded, imitating Chase's shrug. "She's bisexual, hot, single…"

"That's not going to happen." Chase answered, not even wanting House to go on any further. "And besides, Cameron is straight."

House just smirked at him. "OK," he said dismissively, no longer minding Chase and staring at his laptop instead. Chase took the hint and headed out of the office, a few questions playing in his mind.

* * *

"Dr. Hadley! Nice to have you here!" The woman at the conference registration exclaimed, giving Thirteen a smile. "How was the drive?"

Thirteen signed the registration form and handed it back to her. The hotel was far better than she had expected, but the tons of doctors just walking around were not something she found particularly appealing. "It was ok," she said indifferently.

The woman checked the paper Thirteen had just given her and then placed it on top of the other papers on the desk. "Is Dr. Cameron with you, Dr. Hadley?"

Thirteen's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"You're both registered as representatives from Princeton Plainsboro," the woman informed her.

"Oh," Thirteen sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "No, she's not."

"Alright then!" The woman responded. "Lunch will be served at the Washington Hall, which will also be the setting for the first talk."

Thirteen just gave her a nod and a weak smile and then walked to the other direction.

_Hmm, where to go_, she thought. She glanced at her watch; it was ten past nine o'clock.

_The bar?_ She thought, glancing at the bar, which was currently filled with lounging middle-aged men.

_Who am I kidding?! I'm going to sleep this off!_ She finally decided, turning towards the direction of the elevator and walking to it.

She got off at her floor and started walking through the hall, her key card in hand. She eyed each door she walked past, wondering if any of the other doctors were staying in any of the room near hers.

Reaching her own door, she took the key card and used it to open the door. However, instead of the light on the lock flashing green, it turned red instead.

"What now, stupid door?!" The brunette stammered, flashing the key card again. _Just great! Now my chances of getting some sleep is--_

"Need some help?"

Thirteen turned to the source of the voice, and saw a blonde woman standing a few feet from her, with a luggage bag in hand.

* * *

**That was a long one. Hehe.**

**Happy April Fools' Day everyone! As OW had said earlier, trust no one! =)**


	4. Go Get Her

**Sorry if I wasn't able to update sooner.**

**Anyhow, here's the 4th chap :)**

* * *

Wilson stepped into House's office with a worried look on his face. One of his patients had just passed away. Patient deaths are a given for an oncologist, he had learned, but even his years of experience was not enough to keep him from feeling bad whenever he lost a patient. And as weird as it seemed, House unknowingly provided the best form of comfort for him; he's always up to something, and that always distracted him.

And besides, unlike anyone else he knows, House would never hesitate to remind him of the practical truth.

"No patient?"

House was staring at his laptop screen and did not even bother look up at him. His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked really focused on whatever it was that he was doing. Choosing to wait, Wilson walked towards the seat by the table and settled himself, watching his best friend gape at his screen with fervor.

"Yes!" House muttered, quietly but firmly, with his right hand turned into a fist. He glanced at Wilson, who was still watching him attentively, and gave him a satisfied smile.

"What did you do now?" Wilson asked, knowing fully well what that smile meant. He reached for the laptop, but House immediately pulled it away from his reach.

"Condolence," House answered, placing the laptop on top of a stool behind him. "Stop kicking yourself; patients die."

Wilson snuck a peek on the laptop screen as subtly as he could as House turned away from him. None of the text was readable from where he was sitting, but the website banner somewhat spelled InterConfidential Bosfom Bofet.

_What language is that?_ He thought. _There wasn't even any porn on the page, just mostly text…_

Before he knew it, he was staring into space, thinking about it, while House watched him amusingly.

"That bad huh?" House then said.

The question brought Wilson out of his thoughts. He looked at House, who was looking at him and anticipating his answer. "Yeah," he lied, breathing out heavily to replicate his own behavior when disturbed. "Let's eat."

House narrowed his eyes at him, stood up, and then grabbed his cane. Wilson followed suit, and held his arm out to tell House to walk before him. As House did, Wilson turned slightly towards the direction of the laptop and took one final look at the only recognizable text on it.

_InterContinental Boston Hotel_, it read.

* * *

Thirteen smiled at the woman. She glanced down at the keycard and realized what had gone wrong in the first place. She inserted it the wrong way.

"No, I'm good." She then said to the blonde. She smiled at her and then looked both ways through the hall. "Is your room around here somewhere?"

Cameron took her hand off her luggage and looked at her keycard, which she was holding as well. "Yeah, it's room 930."

Thirteen looked up at the number on the door before her.

It's 929.

The brunette then immediately had a flashback of the conversation she had with the hotel concierge. The guy told her that she was booked in a room that had an access door to the adjoining room. She didn't find anything weird about it then. But now, she knew this couldn't just be a coincidence.

Cameron, on the other hand, did not readily find the fact that she will stay in a room next to Thirteen's all too weird. She figured that since they were both registered as representatives from PPTH, the organizers had chosen to put them in rooms near each other. She thought it as strangely considerate of them, but brushed the thought off.

"Looks like we're going to run into each other a lot for five days," Cameron said awkwardly, trying to make conversation. She held her bag once more and then stepped closer to her door.

Thirteen gave her a tentative smile and proceeded on opening her own door as well. "Yeah, I guess so."

As both doors opened, Cameron let go of her bag and stepped closer to Thirteen, with her hand held out in front of her. "I'll go settle down then. See you later, Dr. Hadley. It's nice to see you."

The brunette shook her hand, and then smiled at her, a more certain one, at least. "Likewise, Dr. Cameron."

Entering her own room, Thirteen carelessly dropped her bag and everything she was holding on the table, and then literally threw herself on the bed. Closing her eyes shut, she realized how tense her body was a few moments ago.

_Well at least it went relatively well_, she thought. She pushed herself upwards towards the pillows, and then sat up. The door leading to Cameron's room was facing her.

With no sound being heard from the other room, Thirteen suddenly found herself wondering on what the blonde was doing. _Maybe she's unpacking, or taking a bath. But why is it so silent? Maybe the shower is silent. I hope it is._

_Wait, maybe she's sleeping, like what I'm supposed to be doing,_ she finally scolded herself. She grabbed one of the pillows and pulled it towards herself, hugging it.

A beeping sound that echoed all over the room woke up the brunette a few hours later. She squinted as she tried to open her eyes. The light coming off from her phone was visible from where she was, and it took her a few seconds to come to her senses and remember where she was and why she was there at the first place.

Her eyes widened when she turned to the digital clock placed on the bedside table.

It was already 12:30, and the first talk was scheduled at 11:30.

"Shit!" The brunette groaned, getting off the bed and walking towards her things at the table. Grabbing only her wallet, phone, and key card, she put on her shoes and walked to the door as fast as she could. Cameron's door caught her eye for a second, and it made her wonder whether the blonde was already downstairs.

_Ok I don't have time for this_, she told herself as she walked past the door. The last thing she needs right now is a doctor giving her the "you work with House so that figures" look when she comes in late.

Arriving at the hall the woman had earlier mentioned, Thirteen realized that the first talk had indeed started, as well as lunch. A young doctor, probably in his early thirties, was on the stage, standing in front of a podium, talking about the security needed for patient information. Several rows of chairs almost filled with doctors were in front of him, while behind those were round tables where the rest of the audience listened and ate their lunch.

Deciding to get some lunch first, the brunette walked towards the round tables and looked for a good place to sit. Most of the tables were already full, while some were empty. She saw some tables with still one or two vacant seats, but did not find the people sitting there very amusing.

_Oh well_, she thought, finally pulling up a chair on an empty table. As she took a seat, a couple of doctors from the table beside her took a glance at her and whispered among themselves.

"This is like freaking high school," she mumbled as she ran her fingers through her hair. She glanced back at the two doctors who looked at her a while ago, and saw them look away like scared townspeople.

No longer finding the scared look of the two doctors amusing, Thirteen decided to call a waiter and ask for some food to be served. She looked around to find one, but not one waiter was within a 10 feet radius.

It was then that her eyes ended up being set on the last row of the seats placed in front of the stage. A somewhat familiar form of a blonde woman met her eye, with the woman's hair almost perfectly tied back, and her shoulders effortlessly straightened from perfect posture. The woman looked up at the stage every once in a while, and then looked down like she was writing down what was being said.

The sight was neither exciting nor amusing, but Thirteen found herself rather mesmerized by the woman.

She watched on intently as the blonde woman looked up, and then down, repeatedly.

Looked up, looked down.

Looked up, looked--

"Taken?"

Regaining composure even before a hint that she was startled could even be seen, Thirteen looked up at whoever spoke, and half expected it to be a waiter.

"Taken?" The person asked again, tapping the empty seat beside the brunette.

The person was a blonde woman, probably a couple of inches taller than Thirteen, although definitely younger. She had brown captivating eyes, and was wearing a white casual dress which made her perfectly toned body impossible not to notice.

Thirteen looked at the woman, from her face, down to her feet, then back at her face again. "No, go ahead."

The woman placed her purse beside the spot where Thirteen had placed hers, and then took a seat. She crossed her legs, brushing her leg with Thirteen's as she did.

_Aggressive_, Thirteen thought, biting the inside of her cheeks while trying her best to keep her eyes on the stage. Her eyes wandered towards Cameron again, but the feeling of a warm breath on her ear immediately took her mind somewhere else.

"You weren't talking about the chair, were you?"

Thirteen turned her head towards the woman beside her, their faces now inches away from one another. She looked at the woman's lips, almost instinctively beginning to imagine how good those lips would taste, and then looked her in the eye with a seductive smile. "Were you?"

The woman leaned back into her chair with a flirtatious smile on her face, her eyes still set on Thirteen. "Single, it is."

Thirteen giggled blithely and then turned her head back towards the stage. "What's your name?"

"Rachel." The woman answered, looking at the stage as well. "You?"

"Thirteen," the brunette answered. She turned towards the woman to see how she'd react.

Rachel only nodded approvingly, her eyes still glued to the stage.

"Why were you staring at her?" Rachel asked a few seconds later.

At first, Thirteen had no idea what she was talking about. "Staring at who?"

"The blonde; the one sitting at the last row, attentively taking notes."

Thirteen looked for the chair Cameron was sitting on, but her view was blocked by a few male doctors lounging at the back of the seats. Giving up, she turned towards Rachel with a questioning look. "Nothing. Why?"

The brunette then noticed Rachel look over her shoulder, and then back at her.

"Because here she comes."

* * *

**I based Rachel from Maggie Grace (Shannon from LOST)**

**:)**


	5. Q&A

**Hi! Sorry it took longer than usual to update. I've just been so busy with work and stuff. :\**

**Anyway, thank you for the reviews. They motivate me a lot.**

**BTW, I just want to clarify that this is not a cross-over fic. I based Rachel's character on Maggie Grace, but she is not Shannon.**

**That is all. Here's the next chap =)**

**

* * *

**Thirteen's first instinct was to turn around, but she resisted. She knew that if she did, and Cameron saw it, that would pretty much reveal to Cameron that she and Rachel were talking about her.

Planning her course of action, Thirteen looked at Rachel. The woman did not have any knowledge of how she and Cameron knew each other, and was basically acting on what she was seeing. Her behavior was the brunette's best source for clues as to what will happen next.

"You're kidding," she bluffed. She didn't really think Rachel was lying, but she had to make it seem as so to elicit a reaction.

Rachel simply looked towards the direction Cameron was supposedly coming from, and held her gaze like she was waiting for something to happen. "No, I wasn't," she finally said, turning towards Thirteen. "But you can stop looking at my face for clues now; someone approached her on her way here."

To say that the brunette was surprised was a big understatement. No one else she knew had ever been able to read her like that. Well, no one but House, but even for him it took time before he was able to. Rachel was clearly something else.

"Are you a shrink or something?" Thirteen asked, baffled.

The blond simply smiled mischievously; she had been asked that question one too many times.

"No."

The brunette narrowed her eyes at her companion. It didn't seem like she was kidding.

"What's your specialization?" she asked.

Rachel repositioned herself on her chair to better see the brunette. She rested one of her elbows on the table, and used her hand from that arm to lean her head on. "Why is it that you like asking questions, but hate answering them?" she asked.

Thirteen just looked at her blankly, trying not to show any kind of reaction. "How do you know that's even true?"

Rachel smirked. It was as if she was expecting Thirteen to give that exact answer. "Well for starters, the only question I asked that you _actually_ gave a good answer to was the one about the chair, which, as we both know, was a breath away from being a pickup line."

Thirteen mirrored the smirk Rachel donned and shook her head lightly. She had clearly made some wrong assumptions about this woman, and she definitely liked it.

"You're a cop, aren't you?"

Rachel's smirk turned to a whole-hearted laugh. "See? All questions, no answers!" She spotted a waiter walking near by, and immediately signaled him to serve them food. "How about, I answer your questions, and then you answer mine."

Thirteen looked at the younger woman as she tried to weigh her options. Rachel obviously knew how to play the game, and would most likely ask the worst kind of questions. On the other hand, she was very much curious as to what made the blond tick. Rachel was smart, hot, and had just the right kind of spunk. She was a freaking trifecta.

"Sure."

Rachel flashed a satisfied grin. "Ok, you first."

The brunette let out a large breath, and thought of what to ask. This first one might drive the rest of their conversation, so it had to be good.

"What's your specialization?"

The blond smirked yet again, knowing fully well the context behind Thirteen's question.

"I am not a doctor," she started. "I'm a network engineer."

Thirteen furrowed her eyebrows. The first thing that came into her mind was that Rachel might be a gate crasher, but it was just ridiculous. "What do you mean you're not a doctor? This is a medical conference!"

A waiter carrying two plates full of food arrived, and laid them at the table in front of the two women. Rachel immediately took her fork and pushed her food around her plate. "Yeah, but this isn't just any conference," she answered, her eyes stuck on her plate. "This is the Future of Medicine conference, and I specialize in handling hospital computer networks."

The brunette nodded slowly, trying to determine whether she'll believe the explanation or not. It somehow made sense, but it didn't serve the purpose she had intended.

"I know why you asked that by the way," Rachel continued, taking a piece of carrot on her plate and putting it in her mouth. She chewed it slowly while Thirteen looked at her with raised eyebrows, waiting for the other half of her statement.

"My dad was an interrogator, my mom was a shrink," she confessed, taking the glass of water beside her plate and drinking some of its contents.

Thirteen nodded again, this time of satisfaction. It comforted her to know that the type of person who would be able to easily read her actions was the daughter of a cop and a shrink.

"Ok my turn," Rachel proceeded again. "Who's the blonde?"

The brunette pursed her lips. She already expected Rachel to ask that question. "She used to work in the hospital I work in, and she's the ex of a friend."

Rachel glanced where Cameron was standing, then back at the brunette. "Hmm. I knew she looked gay."

Thirteen almost choked on her food. "Her ex was a guy," she explained, coughing a little. "They were married. She's straight."

The blonde glanced towards Cameron's direction once again. Cameron was talking to a couple of people, but was surely taking quick glances towards their direction. "That may be true, but I am certain she's been with a woman before."

The brunette turned to look at Cameron as well, and watched her chat with the other doctors. The thought of Cameron not being straight had never crossed her mind. Her gaydar was also normally very sensitive and accurate, so she found it unlikely that she missed it.

"How can you be so sure?" she asked the woman.

Rachel swallowed the rest of the food in her mouth then placed down her fork. "Have you ever observed the way she looks at women? She's very good at hiding it, but if you look closely, you'll see that she checks women out."

Unable to resist, Thirteen turned to where Cameron was and watched her. She was talking to a middle-aged man and a younger woman. _Could she really be bi?_ she thought. It was not surprising why she'd never noticed how the older doctor looks at women; she had never really looked at Cameron longer than a few seconds. But now that that had been pointed out, it was impossible not to wonder why.

Turning back to her food, the brunette put down her utensils. Her mind was now too filled with thoughts to appreciate sustenance.

"So," Rachel started again, finishing up her plate herself. "My turn?"

The brunette was about to respond, when a familiar voice reached her ear.

"Dr. Hadley?"

Both women at the table looked up, and saw Cameron standing by their table.

"Dr. Cameron," Thirteen greeted.

Cameron took alternating looks between Thirteen and her companion, and gave both women a smile before finally settling on the brunette. "There are still some seats up front," she explained, pointing towards where she was sitting before. "You can take your friend if you want," she concluded, looking briefly at Rachel.

The brunette looked at her companion, then back at the blond doctor. "Yeah, sure," she said smugly.

And with that, Cameron walked off back to her seat. Both women just watched on as Cameron walked away.

"You clearly lied to me," Rachel stated blankly, taking the glass of water and sipping some of its contents.

Thirteen's eyes widened. "Lied about what?"

"About the blonde, _Dr. Hadley_," Rachel replied mockingly.

"I did not lie about her." The brunette responded, her eyebrow raised in question. She leaned forward and readjusted herself on her seat. "She used to work where I work, and she was married to a friend."

"But that's not it, is it?" Rachel asked with a smirk of certainty. She was obviously onto something, but it was not very clear at that point, even to Thirteen.

"No tension like that could be nothing," the blonde continued. "I was going to ask if you had already slept with her, but now I'm guessing you haven't, but you wouldn't refuse to must the chance present itself."

If not for Thirteen's perfected sense of self control, her mouth could have been held open in astonishment to Rachel's conclusions.

"What are you talking about?" Thirteen asked defensively. "There was no tension whatsoever!"

"Yes, there was," Rachel answered, taking her purse that was beside the brunette's belongings. "And it was sexual."

Rachel brought out a compact from her purse, checked herself for a few seconds before putting it back in. She stood up from her chair and turned towards the brunette, who was still sitting and trying to digest the things she had just heard.

"Come on Dr. Hadley, the lady awaits."

* * *

**As you can see, Rachel's character is much different from Shannon. Although if you can imagine Shannon being like this, then that's great too =)**


	6. Chain Reaction

**Did you miss me? j/k.**

**Sorry I wasn't able to update for a while. Blame it on writer's block, work, and some other stuff.**

**I hope you all enjoy this one.**

**And as always, thank you for your kind reviews!**

**

* * *

**Seeing that her companion had now walked off towards the direction of the stage, Thirteen pulled herself off her chair and walked briskly to catch up with the younger woman.

"Look, I know what you're planning to do," she said, looking ahead at their destination. Cameron was sitting on the chair she had occupied before. Meanwhile, Rachel didn't seem to be paying any attention to her at all. "This is not funny!"

Rachel raised an eyebrow towards the brunette, and maintained her pace. "What are you talking about? I'm not trying to do anything."

"I know you'll try to make a point," Thirteen answered, her response sounding more like a question than a statement.

"You _know_?" The blond exclaimed, looking at Thirteen questioningly. She suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned towards the brunette. "Look, you don't know me."

"And you don't know me," the brunette responded quickly. "Which is why I'm telling you to stay out of this."

Rachel rested her hand on her hip and smirked at the doctor. "You're right. I don't know you. But at least I'm trying to change that."

Thirteen furrowed her eyebrows. "Normal people spend time together to know each other. They have coffee, or something. Can't we just be those people?"

"No," the blond answered, deadpanned. "And besides, normal is boring."

"I get that, but can't we leave Cameron out of this?"

"If you weren't staring at her like a kid eyeing a toy store, I would've. But it's too late now," Rachel continued, as she walked off towards the chairs a few feet from them.

"Come on, tiger. It's show time," she called out, walking further away from Thirteen.

The brunette immediately followed Rachel towards the seats. At first she could not find the blonde, but soon figured where she would logically go. Turning towards the seats where she knew Cameron was, she saw Rachel sitting beside the blonde immunologist.

"Dr. Hadley! There you are! For a minute there I thought I lost you!" Rachel greeted cheerily as Thirteen approached. "I found Dr. Cameron for you."

Thirteen widened her eyes at Rachel in surprise for a second, but immediately smiled when Cameron looked up towards her direction. "Hey," she greeted, her voice low and stable. She figured that if there was a good time for her to regain her cool, this had to be it.

"Hi Dr. Hadley." Cameron responded. "Is there anything in particular I can help you with? Your friend here said you were looking for me."

"Oh I'm sorry I did not introduce myself!" Rachel jumped in.

Despite being interrupted, Thirteen felt relieved more than anything. Rachel had unknowingly—well, knowingly for sure—helped her dodge Cameron's question.

"I'm Rachel. Rachel Trent." The blonde continued, stretching her hand for a handshake.

Cameron shook it gently and gave the younger blonde a warm smile. "I'm Allison. Allison Cameron. It's nice to meet you Rachel."

"Yeah, nice to meet you, Rachel," Thirteen murmured sarcastically as she sat down on the seat besides Rachel.

It turned out that Cameron heard Thirteen's stifled remark, and looked on curiously at the brunette. "What's the matter Dr. Hadley?"

"Oh, nothing!" Thirteen answered with a smile.

A weird silence swept through the three women. Interestingly enough, as if on queue, all three looked straight at the stage. The seemed to look on intently as the man standing there conducted his briefing.

But of course, none of them were actually thinking about what was being discussed.

Well at least Thirteen and Rachel definitely weren't.

"What are you doing?" Thirteen whispered. Her voice was soft, but her tone was stern.

Rachel turned her head towards her with a surprised look. "What?"

"Just stop it."

Rachel certainly couldn't care less about the brunette's stressed state, and simply gave the woman a playful smirk. "Couldn't you chill for just a second? I'm just curious."

The brunette ran her fingers through her hair and sighed in frustration. "There's no reason to be curious. There's nothing to find out."

The blonde repositioned herself on her chair, and looked straight into the brunette's eyes.

"Then don't be so defensive and let me find that out for myself, ok?"

Shaking her head slightly, Thirteen crossed her arms and turned her attention towards the stage.

Cameron was looking at the stage as well, but was subtly watching the two women as she did. The dynamic of what seems to be their relationship intrigued her. They don't seem to be getting along very well, but their tolerance for each other was evident.

Moments after approximately ten minutes of looking blankly at the stage by all three women, the first talk finally ended. The doctors seated on the rows in front of them stood up at almost the same time and dispersed quickly, almost everyone heading towards the snack buffet lined up on both sides of the big hall.

But despite the sudden movement of people, the three women remained at their seats, and just looked on as number of unoccupied seats around them started to increase.

Cameron turned her head towards both sides of the hall, specifically towards the lines at the buffet. Both were at least twenty feet long.

"I guess it's better to wait for the people to thin out," she commented. It was not clear whether she had made the comment to herself, or if she was talking to Rachel and Thirteen. And the truth was she herself did not know which one it was. She did not want to assume that it would be ok for the two women if she came along with them, and she also did not want them to think that she wants to be left alone.

"Yeah, I guess," Rachel agreed, looking at the same crowd of people Cameron was looking at. "Would you like to wait here, or go somewhere else Dr. Cameron?"

Cameron took a final look at the line of people, and then turned to Rachel. "No, I'd rather wait here."

Rachel nodded approvingly, which Cameron found too weak of an agreement.

"But if you guys want to go somewhere, please go ahead."

The blonde shook her head and gave the Cameron an assuring smile. "No, it's totally fine."

Cameron then noticed Thirteen lazily sitting there with her arms crossed, looking at shoes. "How about you, Dr. Hadley? Do you want to go somewhere?"

Thirteen did not seem to hear Cameron's question, so Rachel nudged her lightly to get her attention.

"Huh?" the brunette responded, looking up.

"Dr. Cameron was asking if you want to go somewhere with her."

Cameron's eyes widened for a moment. "That's not what I meant," she quickly responded. "I just said that if you wanted to wait somewhere else for the people to finish up, then you guys can go ahead."

Thirteen lowered her raised eyebrows and smiled at the now blushing Cameron. "It's ok, we can just stay here."

Cameron smiled in relief, and turned back towards the people who were still lined up for snacks.

A phone suddenly rang, and soon the women realized that it was Cameron's. The blonde took her phone from her pocket and stood up, placing her notebook and pen on her chair.

"I'll be back," she said, walking off into the area near the stage.

Seeing that Cameron had walked off a good distance away from them, Thirteen uncrossed her arms and turned to her right towards Rachel. "Why did you say that?"

Rachel glanced at where Cameron was for a second, and then turned back to the brunette. "Why not? It's true anyway. And besides, I'm just pushing her buttons. I like her."

Thirteen's eyebrows furrowed almost immediately. "What?"

"What, you're jealous now?" Rachel quipped.

"That's not what I meant," Thirteen answered, deadpanned.

Rachel shook her head slowly, watched Cameron again, for a good couple of seconds this time, and then turned back to her companion. "That's the problem with you two. You never say what you mean."

A few hours later, both Thirteen and Rachel sat beside each other as they listened to the concluding items in a briefing being conducted by a woman who strangely reminded Thirteen of a patient. It was the last briefing they had to attend for the day, and was the best one yet. Nonetheless, they chose to sit on the seats furthest from the speaker, to avoid disturbing people while they chat. Cameron had chosen to attend a different briefing, one which was scheduled at the same time as the one they were attended. And inevitably, both women had their own theories why such a choice was made.

"She thinks we're a couple of delinquents," Thirteen concluded, rolling her eyes.

"No," Rachel argued. "She's starting to feel territorial, and that surprised her, thus, her first defense mechanism was to back away, and act like she's not."

Thirteen threw her arms in the air, bewildered. "How do you even come up with this shit?"

"I bet she thought we've known each other before today," Rachel began. "That was why she was totally ok with things before she found out we just met. Did you see how she reacted when we told her that? She was taken aback."

Being intrigued by Rachel's explanation, Thirteen turned towards the blonde and waited for her to continue.

"Had we been friends, it wouldn't have been weird that we've practically spent the entire day together. But we're not. We're strangers. She thinks we're attracted to one another. And she surprised herself by being bothered by that, so now she's on defensive mode."

"Again," Thirteen said in a mocking tone. "How do you come up with this shit?"

Before Rachel could answer, the speaker announced that the briefing was over, which was immediately followed by the rising of the doctors from their seats. Both Thirteen and Rachel stood as well, heading towards the door.

"Trust me, when we meet her tonight at the conference dinner, I'll prove it to you," Rachel assured her, flashing a confident grin.

Both women walked into the elevators, and pressed the buttons corresponding to their respective floors. Thirteen pressed 9 while Rachel pressed 7.

The elevator dinged as it reached the 7th floor. Rachel stepped out of the elevator but immediately turned around to face the brunette, giving Thirteen a teasing smile just as the elevator door came to a close.

Reaching her own door, Thirteen reached into her jeans pack pocket for her key card, only to find a piece of paper along with it. She unfolded the paper and saw a handwritten scribble.

_And don't worry. If things don't work out with her, I already told the concierge that they can give you a key to my room if you'd ask for it. It's 707._


	7. All In

Cameron sat on the second row in a conference room somewhere in the hotel, trying to listen to the speaker of the briefing she had chosen to attend.

Trying, she was. But succeeding, she wasn't.

Taking refuge in her notes, she flipped through the pages of her notebook, only to realize that the last note she had written was from the first briefing—the one she attended with Thirteen and Rachel.

She had actually intended on attending a different briefing—the one Thirteen and Rachel were attending at that exact moment. The truth was that she was not entirely sure why she changed her plans on the last minute. All she could remember was realizing that Thirteen and Rachel weren't exactly old friends who reconnected at the conference, and then suddenly feeling like a third wheel.

With an exhausted sigh, the blonde closed her notebook and directed her eyes towards the man on the podium. As she watched the man speak, her thoughts couldn't help but wander.

She didn't know much about her ex-colleague. All she knew were the unsolicited stories and information House told her. She had heard about the ability to attract and sleep with anything that moves, and the one night stands, although the former really did not need to be said. Actually, House's pestering were merely confirmations to what she had already suspected when she met the woman while they were still "playing" for a slot in House's team.

She _chose_ not to interact with Thirteen that much when she was still in the hospital. Such interaction was not necessary, but every time a chance came up, she avoided it. Not because she despised the woman for "replacing" her on the team; she was more than happy to leave.

It was just that she felt certain uneasiness whenever the younger woman was around. It was not even fear or anything like it. It was this sudden feeling of being self conscious. It was like she was being watched; like she was being studied.

Her inability to identify what she felt made knowing why she did impossible, so she decided to pin it on the explanation that House had been pestering Thirteen like how he pestered her, and that caused an awkward tension every time the two of them talked, or even stepped into the same room. And in a confined environment such as PPTH, where both Chase and House were always a few rooms away, she just couldn't take the risk of them sensing a "tension" between them. Surely, one would have a field day, and one would start questioning.

And now, they're in a relatively unfamiliar place, with no one to tease them or watch them like a hawk. A setting that would have been perfect to break the ice.

_How ironic_, she said to herself.

It's not that she somehow expected herself and Thirteen to keep each other company. Or that she's disappointed Thirteen chose a stranger for company over her.

It's really not.

"It's not what?"

Startled, Cameron turned to the seat next to her to see who had asked the question. It was a middle-aged woman who had an iPad on her lap, and was wearing a white low-cut top with a pencil-cut skirt.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

The woman, who Cameron guessed was in her mid-thirties, looked on worriedly at her. It was a dead giveaway that she was a mother. "You were murmuring 'it's not' for a good 10 seconds there, honey. Anything wrong?"

A little embarrassed, Cameron gave the woman a smile. "Nothing. Sorry, I was just thinking of something."

"Ok," the woman responded. She then took a look at the speaker in front, and then looked down at her iPad to type in some notes. "Why are you alone? Where is your girlfriend?"

Cameron furrowed her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

The woman sighed worriedly. "Your girlfriends, dear, I asked you where your girlfriends are. I saw you earlier with two other women." She put her iPad on the seat beside her and turned towards Cameron. "Are you sure you're ok? You seem disoriented."

"Yes, I'm sorry," Cameron replied hurriedly. "I have to go," she continued, looking around the room as if checking for something. She slowly stood up and made her way to the door.

_You're freaking hearing things Allison_, she said to herself.

Rushing into the first bathroom she saw, she stood in front of the sink and stared at the mirror. _This shouldn't be bothering me_, she thought. She headed out of the comfort room, only to see doctors coming out of the several function rooms that occupied the floor. The briefings have ended.

An hour later, Cameron stood in the middle of her hotel bathroom, not really eager to move any further. She was wearing an elegant black dress. Raising her arm gracefully, she looked at her watch and checked the time. It was quarter past seven. The conference dinner—which she had earlier agreed to attend with Rachel and Thirteen—was scheduled to start at seven in the evening. She wouldn't have gone if it weren't for the earlier agreement, really. She had never enjoyed a single one of the yearly traditional conference dinners which were held during the first and last days of conferences. And she wasn't expecting this one to be any different.

Well, not anymore.

"Dr. Cameron!" Rachel greeted, rising from her seat to greet the blonde. She and Thirteen found a table that was conveniently close to the bar. "How was the briefing by Dr. Maxwell?"

Cameron smiled at Rachel, and then at Thirteen, who remained seated and simply watched the two women conversed.

"It was great," Cameron answered, taking the seat that Rachel had pulled for her. "I see the program has started. Did I miss anything good?"

"No, you didn't," Thirteen answered, delicately holding a wine glass, "Just some boring speeches."

The brunette seemed to hesitate for a few seconds, like she wanted to say something else.

"Uhm, You look nice, Dr. Cameron."

Thirteen's response actually surprised Cameron. The brunette hadn't been actually talking to her that much since they saw each other. She even thought that if Rachel hadn't been there, there probably wouldn't be any talking at all.

"Thank you. You both look lovely," Cameron responded.

The three women watched as doctors passed by them almost continuously, almost all of them indifferent to the program that was happening onstage.

"Remy, honey, could you get me a drink?"

Cameron turned towards the two women and saw that Rachel had her hand on Thirteen's arm, and was looking at her dearly.

"Ok, Ill be right back," Thirteen responded, flashing Rachel a smile. She stood up, and revealed that she was wearing a nice silk top under her black jacket. She briefly smiled at Cameron before walking off towards the bar.

Rachel looked on as Thirteen walked away from them, which somehow compelled Cameron to do the same. It was only when she did that then she realized why: Thirteen was wearing a ridiculously hot outfit—black slacks that showed her curves, and a nice jacket that gave her more spunk, although that seemed neither possible nor necessary.

It then hit Cameron that Rachel had called Thirteen by her first name, which was both weird and fun to hear. She chuckled lightly.

"What's funny?" Rachel asked, turning towards her.

"Oh, nothing," Cameron answered. "It was just weird hearing someone call Dr. Hadley by her first name."

"Why, don't you call her that?"

"Well," Cameron started. "Her nickname in the hospital was Thirteen, and it took a while before anyone even knew what her real name was, so Thirteen was our only choice."

"So you didn't?"

"Nope."

"Hm."

"I'm surprised she told you, actually."

"Hm."

"Don't worry," Rachel said, turning to look at Thirteen, who was then talking to the bartender. She then turned back towards Cameron, and gave her an assuring smile.

"She's just as confused as you are."

"What are you talking about?" Cameron replied.

"Seriously?" Rachel asked unbelievingly. "You're not going to acknowledge the awkwardness here?"

"What awkwardness? I don't understand," Cameron answered, almost stammering.

Rachel sighed and faced the older blonde. "Fine. You're in denial too. But please know that I am not willing to be your buffer for five whole days."

Cameron looked down at her hands, deep in thought, and then looked up again at Rachel. "It's not awkward. We just aren't that close."

"Really?" Rachel answered back, her unbelieving tone returning. "And it has nothing to do with your attraction for each other?"

"What?" The look on Cameron's face went from defensive to shocked. "I do not know what Dr. Hadley told you to put you up to this, but there seems to have been a misunderstanding. And wait, aren't the two of you supposed to be bed buddies for the week or something?"

Rachel couldn't help but laugh; Cameron's state reminded her of Thirteen's reaction during their earlier conversation.

"Dr. Cameron, Remy did not put me up to this. She couldn't, even if she tried, put me up to this, or anything for that matter. And she did not tell me anything either. I'm just telling you that if you want her, then do something about it."

Cameron was pretty much dumbfounded. She had acknowledged that there was some kind tension between her and her ex-colleague, but everything that Rachel said was beyond her.

"But, why?"

Rachel smiled, remembering how she got herself into the situation in the first place. "Let's just say, this is me doing you a favor."

Despite the seemingly clear answer from Rachel, Cameron still couldn't process the whole situation. "What do you mean? What favor-?"

"By giving you the time to make a move, Dr. Cameron."

At that point, all Cameron could do was look into the eyes of the other woman beside her.

"When we met up with you earlier today," Rachel continued. "I was merely studying my competition."

Cameron tried to organize her thoughts. "So you're saying that I have to make a decision about this now? But what if I don't?"

Rachel gave the blonde doctor a smile. "You may not have made a decision yet, Dr. Cameron. But I have. And once I start to act upon that decision, you might not be able to change yours."

Cameron looked into Rachel's eyes, and felt like she had just gotten into a new level of understanding with the woman.

"Ok."

Cameron gave Rachel a smile before rising from her seat and walking off. She felt like she was walking aimlessly across the room, but somehow, she was also certain of her destination.

"Dr. Hadley?"

Thirteen already made herself comfortable on the bar, and was finishing off what looked like her fourth drink. She turned around and saw the blonde doctor standing there, looking at her nervously.

"Oh! The drinks! Oh my gosh, I forgot. Sorry!" Thirteen exclaimed, figuring that Rachel must have sent her there to fetch the forgotten drinks.

"No no!" Cameron responded immediately, stepping closer towards the blonde. "Uhm, I was just wondering if you'd like to get out of here."

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows slightly. She was obviously confused. She got off the bar stool and faced the blonde. "That's weird. Did Rachel say that?"

Cameron looked back at their table, at Rachel, for a little while, and then at the brunette. "No," she answered, taking another step towards Thirteen. "I was hoping it would just be the two of us."

* * *

**I am not very confident about this chap, but I still hope you enjoyed it **

**Also, I just finished this now, with no reviewing whatsoever because I'm sleepy as hell, so please bear with me if there are errors.**


	8. Technically

**Ok, this is not as long as the previous chapters, and is almost two weeks too late, but an update is still an update, yes? =)**

**Thank you for all your wonderful reviews and for patiently waiting for updates. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to update as frequently as before.**

**Also, do you think that the story is going too slow? I kind of think it is, but, I can't help it. The pre-relationship tension is my favorite part :p Anyway, if you think it _is_ going too slow, please let me know.**

**

* * *

**"Coffee, definitely a great idea!" Thirteen commented, holding her cup towards her mouth for what looked like the tenth time in the last minute. She placed down the cup on the table and grinned at her companion in front of her.

Cameron smiled amusingly at the younger woman, really taken by surprise by her upbeat behavior. "To be fair, we drove around for fifteen minutes looking for a place to hang out and didn't saw anything before we saw this place," she answered. Her finger traced the rim of the cup in front of her, as she observed the now hopefully sobered up brunette. "And besides, taking care of a drunk isn't my idea of hanging out," she continued, chuckling a bit.

"Fair enough," the brunette quipped, taking one final gulp from her cup. She settled her empty cup on the table and faced the blonde. "So, what made you leave the dinner?"

Cameron swallowed hard, quite nervous with where their conversation was going. "It just got too crowded," she lied.

Thirteen nodded in agreement, and for a while looked around the Italian café they were in before turning back towards her companion. "I'm actually surprised Rachel did not come along,"

The blonde looked down at her cup. "Why is that?"

The younger woman sighed and played with the teaspoon beside her empty cup. "She doesn't seem like the type who likes being left behind in things."

"Yeah, she doesn't," Cameron responded, being reminded of their earlier conversation. "Actually, I did not ask her to come, I just asked you."

Thirteen smirked at the older doctor. "Not that crazy about her, huh?"

"No, it's not that," Cameron answered. "I just thought this would be nice."

"Hm."

The brunette felt stumped. There was no doubt in her mind that it was Rachel orchestrating the whole thing, but her absence did not seem to make sense. She thought that Rachel's point in all of it was that so she could serve as the sole audience of their entire 'thing'.

Growing impatient with her own lack of answers, she then realized that she was over thinking Rachel's absence, and not really absorbing the fact that she and Cameron were currently, technically, out on a date.

She then looked at Cameron and saw that the older doctor was then staring blankly at her cup. It wasn't long before Cameron began muttering. "I'm sorry I didn't invite her, I just thought…"

"Hey," the brunette interrupted, reaching across table and placing her hand on top of the blonde's.

Cameron looked up at Thirteen, quite confused whether to turn her attention towards the brunette's face, or her hand.

"I know what you thought, and you thought wrong," Thirteen continued, looking straight at Cameron's eyes. "This is great. Thank you."

Cameron smiled in embarrassment. "I think this is the first time today that I was able to appreciate the fact that somebody else knows what's going on in my mind."

"I know what you mean," Thirteen smirked, remembering her own experience with Rachel that day. "I was told what I thought and what I felt almost all day today." She then slowly removed her hand from the blonde's, almost apologetically. The excuse she decided to hang on to for her behavior was that she's still tipsy, because that's the excuse that makes sense right now. And because that's the type of excuse that's easy to believe.

"Really?" Cameron responded. "What was it that you were told you thought and felt?" She gently rubbed the back of her hand where Thirteen's hand once was, trying to rid it of the phantom feeling that it was still there.

Thirteen just looked back at the older woman, quite surprised. Her colleagues at Princeton had gotten too used to her not answering their questions directly that they had grown tired of asking altogether. Somehow she had expected Cameron to know about that, but as it turns out she didn't.

At least not until that moment.

"I was kidding," Cameron continued, smiling at the brunette. "House always said you were a tough nut to crack."

Smiling back, Thirteen felt like she wasn't being fair to the blonde. Obviously, the older doctor found her a worthy company, to say the least. It didn't seem fair to just clam up all night. Especially when the answers to the questions that she was asking, very much involved her.

"Well, technically they're not actually my thoughts and feelings," Thirteen started, garnering an anticipating grin from the blonde. "So I guess it would be ok to share them."

"That's more like it!" Cameron answered eagerly.

She braced herself for a possibly enraged reaction from the blonde, and decided to go on with it.

"I was told," Thirteen started. "I was told that I am attracted to you, and that I am in great denial of it."

The blonde looked at her blankly for a few seconds. "Well… that's… interesting," she responded, almost stuttering.

Cameron was confused whether she was supposed to feel embarrassed for herself or for Thirteen. But the latter seemed unnecessary because the young brunette looked as cool as an ice cube. The former, however, was true, and undeniable.

"Is it?" Thirteen asked, almost sounding like she was teasing the blonde.

"Yeah," the blonde answered, taking the bait. "Because I was told the same thing about you."

Not totally surprised, the brunette smirked light-heartedly at the other woman. "That's the one thing we've got," she answered suavely.

Cameron responded with an endearing smile. "Breakfast at Tiffany's?"

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows and sported a playful look. "Are you asking me out?"

The older woman giggled, "No, you goof! I meant the song. What you said is the same as one of the lines from a song."

"The one by Gin Blossoms, yeah," Thirteen answered, still snickering.

Once their mild laughter had died down, the two women were left with smiles on both their faces and a somewhat weird, but needed silence.

Finally being hit on what had just happened, Thirteen responded the only way she knew how. She smiled coyly at the blonde and said, "Good thing what we were both told weren't technically our own thoughts and emotions huh?"

The blonde returned the smile, her eyes directly at the brunette. "Totally."

* * *

**Just figured we all deserve a chapter of pure Cadley :D**

**What do you think?  
**


	9. What Now?

**OK, almost three weeks without an update. What the heck was that, right?**

**Anyway, I hope this will be worth the wait for you guys =)**

**Again, thank you for reading and enjoying the story.**

**Thanks to birthofthephoenix, for, well, nothing in particular. Just, thanks =) **

* * *

"How about bulldogs?" Thirteen asked playfully.

"Sorry, I'm more of a fluffy dogs lover, than a bulldog lover," Cameron answered, semi-consciously playing with the fabric of her dress.

They were at the hotel lounge; sitting on a couch with their feet up, their high heels on the coffee table in front of them. After being forced to leave the Italian café and realizing that it was already past midnight, they decided to head back to the hotel, hoping that the people had gone to their preferred after-parties, or to their rooms.

"I get fluffy dogs, but come on, don't you think bulldogs are cute?" Thirteen exclaimed. "They're so plump and cute! If only my schedule were a little more normal I'd get one."

Cameron shook her head lightly, "Looks like what Rachel told us _is_ the only thing we have in common huh?"

The brunette smirked. She realized that they completely side-stepped the fact that they basically confessed having an attraction for each other a few hours before.

"Yeah, seems like it,"

Thirteen's tone and dismissive response sounded like she was giving permission for them not to speak of the issue any further. And it was. The brunette figured it might not be a good idea to pursue things actively. After all, this is not just any other woman; this is Cameron—Chase's ex, House's ex ducking, the woman she'd been attracted to for the longest time Cameron.

But as the brunette's mind became clouded with apprehensions, Cameron's became clear as day. What Rachel told her earlier that night might have made her feel uncertain, but the time she spent with the brunette made her feel otherwise.

_This could work_.

"So," she started. She then cleared her throat nervously, in a way that Thirteen knows all too well. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what did you tell Rachel when she told you that she thinks we're attracted to one another?"

Thirteen then cleared her own throat, not much different from the way Cameron did earlier. "Well, I told her that she was crazy," she answered, attempting to pull off a chirpy tone, but ending up with a nervous one. "That there's just no way."

Cameron felt disappointment creep from her legs and arms, up to her face, almost blurring her vision. Such an answer was expected, and somehow downright appropriate, but blonde realized that she was expecting the younger woman to say something else; to sweep her off her feet with one suave statement.

She wanted Thirteen to say that what Rachel said was true; that she wants her.

"How about you?" the brunette continued, looking like she was pleading for the blonde to speak.

"I guess, I reacted the same way you did," she answered, her response more like an apology than an answer. She looked down at her hands, and glanced at her clock; it was already two in the morning.

"Would you mind if we call it a night? I wouldn't want to miss the first briefing tomorrow," Cameron finally continued. Her smile was like a desperate attempt to hide the coldness in her voice.

"Oh yeah, the briefings, almost forgot about that," Thirteen answered, leaning towards the table and taking her shoes. "Sorry we stayed up so late."

Cameron took her shoes as well and then slightly furrowed her eyebrows at the brunette's statement. "It's ok Dr. Hadley."

Both women walked to the elevator in silence, feeling more awkward than they ever did that entire night. A comfortable distance remained between them, but their arms never swayed, as though both were waiting to be taken.

Upon reaching their doors, they glanced at each other and exchanged smiles, almost like assuring each other that everything will be ok; the awkwardness will go away soon.

"Good night, Allison Cameron," Thirteen said, her key card suddenly appearing from inside her pocket.

Cameron on the other hand, was already putting her key into her slot. "Goodnight, Thirteen."

Thirteen did not look back at the blonde and instead entered her room as fast as she could, and headed straight for the bed. Throwing her shoes carelessly, she fell on her back onto the soft mattress, and placed her hands on her face.

_What are you doing, Remy? Get a hold of yourself,_ she thought, her fingers curling up, turning her hand into a fist.

All the things that happened that night confused her, to say the least. Cameron asked her out, and somehow "confessed" having an attraction to her, but she went on a defensive mode and dismissed the whole idea of addressing their mutual attraction.

_Is it because she's Chase's ex wife? Or is it because you're just freaking scared?_

And now Cameron is giving her the cold shoulder, which will surely drive her insane if it goes any longer.

_What, Remy? What?_

After taking a few seconds to psych herself up, the brunette stood up and walked briskly towards the door that led to Cameron's room. She stopped as soon as the door was right in front of her, her fist raised, ready to knock.

The lack of sound in her room amplified the ones from the room next door. She heard a faint sound of a piano playing, and a man's voice. Cameron was listening to music.

Shoving any other doubts out of her mind, the brunette knocked softly, hoping that it would be loud enough to be heard through the music.

A few seconds later, the volume of the music decreased, and a couple of steps were heard. "Dr. Hadley?"

"Yeah, can I come in?" The brunette answered hastily. She was now leaning on the door, helplessly anxious.

"Of course."

Thirteen twisted the knob, suddenly growing nervous. She fought the edginess as hard as she could, and then took a couple of steps into the room.

The room was very much similar to hers, but at that moment, only a couple of dim lights were on, which made the room more elegant. Not to mention the beautiful blonde standing in the middle of the room, wearing a thin silk nightgown.

"I don't think it was fair, asking _just_ what I told Rachel," she started, making sure to look directly into the blonde's eyes.

Cameron stood motionless with a surprised look on her face.

"What did you expect me to say to her? I don't even know her."

Cameron raised her eyebrows a little, and took a couple of steps towards the brunette, right past the coffee table.

"I just didn't expect you to be comfortable sharing what you—"

"I felt guilty."

"Wha?" Cameron responded softly, sounding more like a moan than an actual reply.

"I told her she was crazy for thinking that, but I felt guilty as fuck," the brunette continued, her voice consistently stern as she tried to keep herself from sounding vulnerable. She ran her fingers through her hair impatiently, but looked down soon after.

She looked up again seconds after, and saw the blonde still looking at her. Her surprised look was now replaced with a tender gaze, which made her all the more beautiful to the brunette's eyes.

Thirteen slowly walked closer to the blonde, stopping as she was right in front of her, like as with the door before. She raised her hands and caressed Cameron's cheeks slowly, as their eyes spoke millions of thoughts to each other.

And not a moment too soon, the brunette closed her eyes and pulled the older woman into a gentle kiss.

The kiss was soft at first, with both women moaning softly every few seconds. Thirteen slowly established taking control, while Cameron readily obliged, spellbound due to the sensations brought by the brunette's tongue inside her mouth.

Soon enough their kiss became deeper and more fervent, both no longer content in standing in the middle of the room. The brunette carefully pushed the blonde backwards, up until the woman was leaning against the table. Cameron broke the kiss momentarily, looking at what had made her stop from backing up any further.

A grin was showing on Thirteen's face as the blonde looked back at the taller woman, and before Cameron could even ask what the reason for such a grin was, the brunette held the blonde by the thighs, and lifted her up towards the table.

Now sitting on the table, Cameron, who at that moment was at almost the same height as the brunette, spread her legs a little and then pulled the younger woman closer to her, and into another eager kiss.

Thirteen's hip was in contact with Cameron's center, causing friction to build up within the blonde. Her previous gentle moans were followed by restless ones, especially as soon as she felt the brunette's soft hands beginning to touch her thighs.

Thirteen's hands ran up from her thighs to her waist, going rather excruciatingly slow, sliding them easily under her night gown and caressing her back, only to slowly slide down again, and this time stopping at her underwear. She slid two of her fingers from both hands just through the waist band, going from the back, and again, slowly, towards the sides.

Cameron's mind went almost blank with excitement and desire, as Thirteen's fingers hooked onto her panty's waistline, and pulled them down slowly, lowering them towards the floor.

* * *

She tapped the table with her pen, keeping the room from being fully engulfed by silence. The room was empty, and her feeling towards that fact was somewhat a dilemma. She despised the fact that she couldn't keep her own thoughts from echoing throughout the room, but she also felt wary of what the presence of another person may entail.

A lot of things had happened; that can't be denied. She could not even believe it all happened in such a short amount of time. But then, time and its length is relative anyway. Actually, how fast it happened is very much irrelevant.

It happened. That's what's relevant.

Soon enough, her worries, as much as she hated to acknowledge the fact that she was worried, was realized. Her companion entered the room with an eager smile, oblivious of what's to come.

She ran her fingers through her hair, refusing to return the smile. There was no use pretending. No use wasting time.

There was no time to waste at all.

Not able to resist, she smiled weakly as her companion leaned closer to her in concern.

"What's wrong?"

Along with the question were curiosity, worry, and fear, among others. She knew for certain that she could easily spare this person of the pain had she chosen to; it was almost too easy to pretend nothing was up. But that would've only delayed the pain, not evaded it.

_Is it wrong for me to feel bad about this_? she thought, her mind drifting. Things somehow felt wrong, under the circumstances, but they were undeniably good too. Finding herself veering towards the pathetic 'so wrong but so right' cliche, she fought her way out of her neurotic trance.

_This is not wrong. It is difficult. There's a difference_, she concluded.

"Chase, we need to talk."

His involvement in all this was obviously something he did not foresee. His worry was very much evident as he slowly leaned back into his chair.

"What about?" he asked nervously, his eyes set on the glass table in front of them.

Once again, she ran her fingers through her hair, her grip on her hair tightening for a split second before she let them drop rather carelessly on her shoulders.

"About Boston," she answered. "Something happened in Boston."

* * *

**I guess the rating change was kind of a spoiler. Heh.**

**Anyway, I hoped you like the smut-ish part. It's my first time to write something like that, so I was kinda clueless.**


	10. Author's Note

I don't want to bore you all with the recent not-so-exciting details of my life, so I'll just go straight to the point: I might not be able to update this story anymore.

For those who are wondering why, well, here's the short of it: I've been struggling with coming up with a good plot for this for some time, and I know that you all understand when I say that writing a good fiction story is not something you can force yourself into doing.

I apologize, especially to those who had been consistently reading and leaving reviews. I know this sucks, but I can't force coming up with a story-it wouldn't be fair to any of us.

Anyway, for those who haven't read it, please also check out Collide.

So there. Just thought you guys deserved to know.

Again, thank you, and my apologies.


	11. Morning After

**It turns out I was wrong :p**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

Thirteen closely opened her eyes, and saw the branches of the trees outside slowly swaying outside the window. They were sideways, which made her realize that she was lying down, on a bed, and had just probably woken up.

She moved her hands around; trying to feel what was around her. It was mostly fabric that she felt – the kind that was always used for blankets – and her own skin. Skin and fabric feels just about right, she thought, pulling more of the fabric towards herself. It was only when she turned on her back that she realized the oddities of the scenario she was in.

She was not in her own room. Also, she was naked.

Now fully awake, she pushed herself upwards a bit and leaned on the headboard. She looked at the rest of the room she was in, and suddenly felt mad at herself for not immediately remembering.

_She pulled Cameron's panties off and dropped them on the floor. It was slow, and sensual, and more exciting now than it ever was with every woman she had been with. She placed her hands back onto the blonde's body, this time on both her hips. With their kiss growing more tense and restless by the second, she traced through Cameron's torso with her hands, causing the blonde's nightgown to rise up. The blonde almost instinctively, yet very gracefully, raised her arms, allowing the brunette to take off her thin clothing and reveal her entire body._

_Cameron smiled shyly and bit her lower lip as Thirteen took off the nightgown and dropped it on the floor as well. The brunette, sensing the blonde's timidity and seeing the rush of blood on her cheeks, cupped Cameron's face with her hands and kissed her gently. "You're beautiful," she whispered._

_They kissed again, and this time, it was Cameron's hands' turn to wander. She unbuttoned each one of the buttons on Thirteen's top and slid them slowly off the brunette, revealing her black bra. She was about to reach for the clasp when the brunette held both her hands and gently pulled her closer. "Close your eyes," she whispered. _

_A teasing smile was still on Cameron's face when she closed her eyes. Thirteen then guided Cameron into leaning backward and using her hands for support on the table. _

_Cameron was almost lying on the table now, if not for her hands which were slightly holding her up, and still with her eyes closed. Thirteen leaned in towards her, and began kissing her neck slowly; her tongue lingering on the blonde's skin every now and then. Cameron, whose eyes were still closed shut, bit her lip to keep herself from making loud sounds, as the brunette's kisses went from her neck down to her chest._

"_Bed," Cameron was finally able to mutter, as Thirteen continued tracing every line on Cameron's body with kisses. She felt fine with the position they were in, but she also wanted this to be comfortable and convenient for both of them._

_Thirteen was down to the blonde's hips now, and was mildly surprised with Cameron's request. Without saying a word however, she moved upwards to face Cameron, and pulled her close. "Hold on," she said suavely._

_At first Cameron did not seem to get what the brunette meant, but when she noticed how tight Thirteen was holding her around her waist, she got the idea. Immediately, she wrapped her arms and legs around the brunette, and giggled incessantly as the brunette carried her towards the bed._

_Thirteen leaned forward, slowly lowering both her and Cameron on the bed. Cameron never looked so beautiful, looking back at her, both excited and scared. She caressed her cheek gently, as she lay on top of Cameron, David Gray's This Year's Love echoing softly across the room._

_I guess this is what making love feels like…_

Looking around the room where it all had happened, the place now seemed dull; lacking of the divinity it possessed the night before. The music was gone, and dim lights were replaced by sunlight coming from the windows. Most especially, the blonde who was the room's prime source of elegance was nowhere to be seen.

Puzzled, the brunette grabbed her shirt from the side of the bed and put it on. After managing to button up a couple of buttons, she slid herself off the bed to check on the bathroom.

"Cameron?" she called, walking slowly towards the bathroom. The door was half open, but the light was on. Pushing the door further, Thirteen realized that Cameron was not in there, but she was, just some moments before – there was still some water on the bath tub, and some moist was still visible on the mirror.

_She's gone,_ she thought, stepping out of the bathroom. She glanced at the clock and noticed that it was already 10am. She felt relieved all of a sudden, and figured that Cameron probably didn't want to wake her, and went on to attend the first briefing, which started at 9am.

Smiling, Thirteen then collected pieces of her clothing from around the room and headed to hers to prepare as well.

The brunette felt rather jittery as she rode the elevator to the hotel hall, where she had assumed Cameron was. As experienced as she was in terms of charming women into sleeping with her, she was not as adept in terms of the whole post-affair protocol.

Her eyes wandered as she entered the hall, looking for any of the two familiar faces she'd been expecting to see. She saw Rachel after a few minutes of searching and was surprised to see her alone.

* * *

"Where's Cameron?" She asked, taking a seat beside Rachel, who was having her late breakfast on a round table at the back of the hall. "I was hoping to see her here with you."

Rachel chewed the food inside her mouth slowly; ignoring the urgent look Thirteen was given her. She then swallowed her food and gave the brunette a disbelieving look. "You were hoping she was here? With me?"

"Alright, fine!" Thirteen stammered. "I hoped to see her, but definitely not with you." She then looked around the people walking around them, like a final plea to see the blonde. "But it would've been better than not seeing her at all."

"She left, but didn't tell you where she was going… interesting," Rachel answered, her mocking pleasure in her voice very much detected. "How did it feel to have the tables turned, Hadley?"

"Oh shut up," Thirteen scoffed.

Rachel felt bad for the brunette, as she was obviously tense due to Cameron's absence.

"I saw her earlier. Around seven," she then said, in a _fine I'll stop messing with you_ kind of tone.

"Where?" Thirteen responded eagerly.

"Near the café. She might be there,"

The brunette stood up almost immediately, and gave Rachel a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you," she said, before walking off to the café. Rachel nodded her off, and continued with her meal as the brunette ran off.

Thirteen felt the anticipation building up inside her again, as she approached the entrance of the hotel café. She began thinking about things to say, and stuff they can talk about. She also thought about how she would respond if Cameron asks her about what happened the night before.

The feeling was short-lived, however; she peered into the café and did not find a single woman on the seats.

"Where are you, Cameron?"


	12. Considering the Circumstances

**Hi all! Thanks for the good feedback on the last update!**

**I'd like to give credit to these people for the warm re-welcome and reviews **

**siege98, Crazy Rikku Fan, miralinda, WonderousPlaceForAnEcho, Mm-Burnt-Toast-mM, bigblusky, Vanamo, meva desa, ShelbyO, verticallimit379, and of course BirthofthePhoenix!**

**I've decided that I will continue this story, but I can't promise frequent updates. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! Thanks for reading!**

**

* * *

**Thirteen stared at her own feet as she lay on her bed. It was already well into the evening, and Rachel had just sent what seemed like her hundredth message asking where she was and if she wanted some company. She hated to admit it, but she was bored out of her mind, and Rachel's invitation was growing more attractive by the minute. But every time she started thinking about going out, it only made her realize that she will most likely just continue looking out for Cameron instead of doing anything else.

She continued looking for Cameron earlier that morning, before she finally decided to crawl back to her hotel room and spend the entire day there. She didn't know why she did continue searching; her mind was telling her that Cameron probably did not want to be found, and that the woman wanted space. The only thing she knew though was that she wanted to see the older woman. She just _had_ to.

Rolling on to her side, she stared at the window and thought about what Cameron was probably thinking of right at that moment. _She must be confused as hell_, she thought. And for good reason too. Certainly, the things that had happened were all unexpected, but them being so was the tip of the iceberg compared to all the issues that entailed them.

Thirteen then remembered her encounter with Chase right before she left. He was obviously still hung up on what had happened. She remembered how he chose her to go, thinking she was the safer choice.

Guilt from betrayal was just starting to bubble up inside her when she heard some faint sounds coming off from the next room. She instinctively glanced at the clock; it was half past eight.

_Could it be her_? she thought, slowly sitting up.

The sounds continued and seemed to move further into the room. Thirteen figured it was either Cameron or someone from room service, and tried her best to keep herself from being too excited. Trying to make sure she did not just trick her mind into thinking she heard noises, she kept still and tried her best not to make any sound to hear well.

_Please be her_, she finally begged, as she slowly stepped off her bed and walked towards the door that separated their rooms. There was a light coming off from the bottom of the doorway, much similar to the light she saw the night before.

Reaching the door, she placed her hands slowly on both sides of the door frame and pressed her ear against the door. Certainly there was movement on the other side, and almost certainly they were not made by someone from room service.

Slowly, she let go of the door frame and sat by the door, her back lightly pressed against it. She was then almost certain that Cameron was there, and the sounds coming off from the room were becoming to be the most comforting sounds she heard all day. She closed her eyes slowly, a smile slowly forming on her lips. She did not even dare think about knocking or getting in. At that point, she knew what she wanted; if it would take time to get it, then time it would take.

* * *

Cameron placed down her purse on the table and stared at the round wooden surface. She ended up sighing at the sight; it was no longer that easy to look at it without having certain memories acting up. They were good memories to say the least, that of which she was sure of. The same couldn't be said however for the other things they were likely to bring about.

Leaving Thirteen that morning was one of the hardest things she had done since she left Chase. It was certainly not what she considered the right thing to do considering the circumstances, but her fear and confusion got the better of her. When she woke up that morning, without clothes, and next to a woman who the day before she had known only as an acquaintance, her mind began flooding with thoughts. She did not feel any regret, or any negative feelings towards the brunette, but rather a raw realization that she did not know what to do next.

She ended up leaving the hotel and spending the day at the coffee shop that she and Thirteen went to the night before. It was a rather lame hiding spot, but she convinced herself that she was not hiding, but merely wanting some alone time. _Just here to think_, she told herself.

Whisking herself out of her own thoughts, she finally left the table and headed to her closet to change into more comfortable clothes.

She thought about Thirteen and wondered about where she was, what she was doing. It had been a long day, and despite her absence from the conference, Thirteen didn't seem to make any effort to find her. Of course, that was part of the point of leaving the hotel, but considering the circumstances, it made Cameron curious, relieved, and anxious at the same time. Surely, she and Thirteen would have to meet and talk about things, but she wasn't sure of when it would be a good time, and what would be the best thing to say.

After putting on more comfortable clothes, Cameron headed to her bed and laid there sideways, facing the wall leading to Thirteen's room. Her entire day of thinking alone did little to settle her mind, and only yielded two things: the assurance that she did not regret what happened, and the realization that the next step could only be decided once she and Thirteen talk things out.

She stared at the wall for a good minute, her mind continuously wandering from thought to thought: the things that happened the night before, thoughts about where Thirteen was, and the things that might happen, considering the circumstances.

Her eyes wandered as well, and caught the gap at the bottom of the door frame that led to Thirteen's room. There was light coming off from it.

_Could she be in there?_ she asked, pushing herself up into a sitting position. She hadn't heard any sound coming off the room since she arrived, and it was possible that the brunette just left the light on. Nonetheless, the blonde got off her bed and walked slowly towards the door.

She pressed her ear against the door, trying to hear any movement. There was nothing.

_Who am I kidding_, she thought. _She's probably with Rachel now_.

Convinced that Thirteen had simply left the light on, she leaned closer to the door, her face almost touching the wood. She breathed out in frustration and closed her eyes shut. It was clear for her now: the slightest clue of the brunette's presence was as lightening as her absence was heartbreaking.

With another heavy breath, she made her confession.

"I'm sorry I left," she said softly, "I got scared."

Thirteen's eyes then opened slowly, surprised at what she had just heard whispered from the other side of the door.


	13. Boston Tea Party

Hi,

**Hot-T17** - you're in luck, 'cause here's an update! :)  
**Gnak** - thank you! needless to say she's a big catalyst for this story  
**ShelbyO **- yeah that ending was like a cheap shot. don't worry, i'll _try_ to avoid doing that  
**Crazy Rikku Fan** - Lol thanks! I've been reading your work btw. Good stuff!  
**verticallimit379** - cliff hangers keep the reading coming back for more :p thanks for the review!  
**siege98 **- i'm sure Cameron had her reason for that :p  
**bigblusky** - sorry if it took so long to get this moving again. and i hope you enjoy this chapter  
**Shananigan** - thank you very much! wasn't sure at first if the parallel style was a great idea. i'm glad you liked it!  
**Mm-Burnt-Toast-mM** - yeah, they definitely need to talk. :)  
**Dragongurl288** - thank you for that! it's your first review, am i correct? i hope you enjoy this next chapter!  
**miralinda** - like i told ShelbyO, i'll try to avoid those from now on :p  
**tortured2** - glad you liked it! loved that part too!  
**BirthofthePhoenix** - i was afraid it was going to be just a "surge" too! (especially with how things are) luckily my brain has been cooperating lately. it's really great that you liked it. i pictured it as how it would look like in real life. it was such a heart-breaking sight when i imagined it. i hope you'll like this one too!

Enjoy! :)

* * *

The brunette blinked. Her mind was suddenly idle, yet bursting with thoughts.

She turned slowly and faced the wall. _I couldn't have just imagined that._

Kneeling in front of the door, she leaned in closer, desperate to hear the blonde's voice once again.

"I just…" Cameron spoke again, her voice trailing off.

Thirteen backed off the door, confused.

Restraint was never her best feature. And the more she heard the blonde's voice, the more she felt that it was the perfect moment to make her presence known. It would definitely make for a good dramatic moment.

But would it be the best thing to do?

The answer didn't matter much soon after, as the brunette heard what seemed like footsteps, moving away from the door.

_Did I just miss it?_

She ran her fingers through her hair, and then pushed herself up to stand. There was no use in frustrating herself because of something that already happened.

_The sun hasn't set.

* * *

_

Rachel was at the hotel bar when the Thirteen walked in. She was finishing off the first one of her five cosmopolitans-the only one of which she actually bought. The second, fourth, fifth were paid for by three different male doctors, while the third was from a woman—a stewardess who was also staying a hotel. It was a relatively interesting night for the young woman, and by the look on the brunette's face as she approached, Rachel knew it was about to get more interesting.

"If she asks, tell her I spent the entire day with you," Thirteen immediately said, sliding into the bar stool next to the younger woman.

"I get the pleasure of being an excuse but not the actual company," Rachel responded coyly, staring at her drink for a bit before turning her head towards the brunette. "That doesn't seem fair."

"Yeah? Well, life is barely fair," Thirteen spat back, mouthing her drink of choice to the nearby bartender.

"Hm. True that," Rachel answered, her tone and mood now matching the brunette's. Her eyes roamed around the bar before turning back towards her companion. "So I figure you two talked?"

Thirteen took the glass the bartender just gave her with her hand and smirked at the younger woman. "Does it still count as talking if she was the only one who talked?"

Rachel mirrored the smirk almost immediately. "That bad, huh?"

The brunette turned on her seat sideways to face Rachel, with her drink still in hand. "It wasn't bad at all."

Rachel was intrigued by Thirteen's sudden willingness to talk about what had happened. Something was definitely up.

"Was it a you-don't-need-to-talk-just-listen kind of speech?" The blonde responded. "Cause that's just cheesy as—"

"She didn't know I was there."

Rachel raised her eyebrow. "You talked, but she didn't know you were there?" Thirteen nodded in response, the look in her eyes a combination of excitement and utter confusion.

"I'd gladly blow your mind and come up with what I think happened based on what you've said, but I think you actually want to tell this story," the blonde continued, giving Thirteen a permissive smile.

Thirteen licked her lips slowly to savor the lingering taste of vodka in her mouth. "I heard her talking by the door that separates our rooms."

Rachel took her second drink, and playfully traced the rim with her finger while looking at the brunette. "Wow, you're spying on her now? That kinda turns me on."

The brunette shook her head lightly with a smirk on her face. "Had you been less creepy, that line would have worked."

Both women burst into light laughter, their eyes meeting every few seconds or so. Thirteen hadn't forgotten about Rachel's "hotel room" offer, but at this point, she knew that the younger woman did it to get her into action towards Cameron.

"So how did the spying go?" Rachel asked seconds later.

Thirteen ran her fingers through her hair, and looked at her now empty glass before looking back at Rachel. "I did not intend for it to happen. I was just in my room, and when I heard some sound from hers, I stood next to the door to listen. I did not know she was going to start talking by the door. I was just there to listen to her go along with her routines."

"And you say I'm the creepy one?" Rachel interrupted, her left eyebrow raised.

"Oh shut up!" Thirteen jeered light-heartedly.

"So what did she say?" Rachel asked again. Thirteen found the younger woman's reaction as quite weird. She was, for a change, asking questions. Maybe she was giving her the chance to tell the story. If that were the case, then it was perfect; she did need to.

"She said," the brunette started, hesitating for a bit. "She said she got scared."

Rachel pursed her lips a bit. "Wasn't that kinda obvious? With her running off and all?"

"Yeah, well I guess that was her way of saying that she did not think the whole thing was a joke and that she regrets it," Thirteen replied. Rachel smiled as she heard this, like it was what she had wanted for the brunette to say in the first place.

"So I'm guessing she doesn't know that you heard her. What's your plan now?" Rachel asked.

The brunette, now more confused with Rachel's behavior as ever, couldn't help but question: "Aren't you already supposed to know that or something? You've been predicting what will happen the past days."

"Hm. I got bored with it," Rachel answered, her third drink now in hand. "And besides, it's your issue now."

Thirteen furrowed her eyebrows, thinking to herself whether she was going to be satisfied with the blonde's answer, or keep on the lookout for another one of Rachel's schemes. It could be nothing or it could be something, she thought, the same as with everything else.

"You're weird, Rachel Trent."

Rachel took her drink and finished it with one go, before turning back to the still curious brunette. "Well you're a creep, Remy Hadley."

"So what's the plan now? Come on, entertain me!" Rachel continued, shaking the brunette's shoulder lightly. Thirteen only shrugged, and murmured a lowly "I don't have any yet."

This annoyed the younger woman, who was now slightly tipsy. "You're starting to get boring," she said, raising her hand to get the attention of the bartender. "I can change that."

With the bartender's attention now on her, she stated, "Eight shots of tequila, please."

* * *

Cameron woke up that morning refreshed, and in a very good mood. She had beaten her alarm clock by about 20 minutes, yet she did not feel sleepy one bit. She went to bed quite early that night, almost immediately after she arrived. She did not hear anything from Thirteen then, and although that worried her a bit, she figured she would just talk to the woman later at the conference.

After she got out of bed, she went through her typical morning routine with a cheery song playing inside her head. She was humming it almost constantly. The nice weather outside also further helped in keeping up her good mood.

As she was done preparing herself, her eyes strayed towards the door that leads to Thirteen's room. It was already 8:50 AM, so the brunette was probably also getting ready to go to the first briefing, which started at 9, and which they were both supposed to go to.

Trying to get past her hesitation, she approached the door and knocked gently three times, hoping it would be loud enough to get the brunette's attention.

There was no response.

She was about to walk away, thinking that the brunette had probably left and that knocking wasn't a good idea.

"_But what if she's still asleep?_" she thought.

Promising to herself that she will walk away if nothing comes out of this, she knocked three more times, this time a little louder than she did before.

Some sounds of movement soon after her knock, and it made her jump and suddenly begin to feel tensed.

The door slowly opened, and revealed Thirteen standing behind it. She was wearing a buttoned-up shirt which was obviously put on haphazardly. Needless to say, she was not ready that morning's briefing.

"Hi," the brunette greeted, embarrassment evident from her face. "What's up?"

Cameron smiled at her apologetically. "I'm sorry for waking you up. I just thought you were ready for the briefing, and wanted to walk down with you to the hall."

Thirteen smiled back at the blonde, "That's so sweet of—"

"Hey is that room service?" a groggy voice suddenly said.

Thirteen immediately turned towards the inside of her room, while Cameron's eyes went towards that direction as well.

The voice was familiar.

Suddenly, the sheets on Thirteen's voice started moving, and from them emerged Rachel, still half-asleep.

* * *

**Ok, maybe I'll stop with the cliffhangers _after_ this chapter :)**


	14. Protocol

**Hi guys,**

**Sorry for the not so frequent updates. So many things happened.**

**Anyhow, here it is.**

* * *

Thirteen's eyes widened momentarily at the sight of the younger woman on her bed. Her mind began digging back to what happened the night before. The bar. The drinks. What had she done?

"On second thought, I'll just go ahead," the blonde spat out with a forced, sarcastic smile on her face. She began walking off towards the door, causing Thirteen to panic.

Turning and seeing that the blonde had walked off, the brunette immediately ran to catch up with the woman, gently tugging her arm in an effort to stop her.

"Allison, this isn't what it looks like," she stammered. She regretted saying those words as soon as she said them, knowing how many times that excuse had been uttered out of guilt. Cameron did not even budge or at least acknowledge her. "You're the one I want," she continued, her voice pleading. "I... I don't even know what that was," she said, pointing to the adjacent room.

The blonde slowed down as she reached the door, her arm still being held by Thirteen. For a moment the brunette thought that she would finally get the chance to talk down Cameron and explain everything. But as the blonde turned towards her, the look in her eyes said something different.

"Fine. You don't know what _that_ was," Cameron started, her eyes turning towards the other room momentarily. "But I thought you knew what _this_ was," she said, looking down at the two of them for a second. "I guess I was wrong."

She then turned around again and opened the door, heading out of the room.

As much as the brunette wanted to hold on to the blonde, she knew there was nothing she could say or do at that point that could help the situation. She stared at the now closed door for a few seconds.

Things were not supposed to go this way. She had just found out the night before that Cameron actually wanted to go deeper into the "relationship" they had started. They were supposed to talk about things, confess their feelings, and actually be together.

But now, all she has is a closed door and a woman inside her room with whom she had no intention of sleeping with.

She found it hard to believe how she had managed to screw things up this time.

Thirteen slowly walked towards her own room, only to find Rachel standing there, looking sorry more than anything.

"Look, Remy, I—"

"Just get out, Rachel," she muttered, pulling off a chair and taking a seat. "Please, just leave," she breathed out, her eyes now set towards the trees outside the window.

Rachel walked towards the bed and grabbed her purse. Her eyes were completely set on Thirteen, who looked very much absent. She shook her head slowly every once in a while, as if engaging in a conversation inside her head.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. She took one last look at Thirteen before walking out of the room.

Thirteen stayed on her seat for a good ten minutes, trying to think about what best to do next. She knew that would mostly revolve around talking to Cameron, but she had to think about how, and most especially, what she would say. She stood up slowly, her legs slightly tingling with a sudden rush of blood, and walked her way to the bathroom.

* * *

Cameron found herself at the hotel bar at ten in the morning. It was the first time she was ever in such a place during such a time. She thought if House had ever been drunk in a bar that early. She doubted it.

"Tough night?" the bartender asked as he handed her a mojito. "I heard this place was thriving with doctors last night."

The blonde just gave the man a weak smile and then went on to attend to her drink.

She wanted to cry, most of all. It had always worked for her when she's trying to deal with intense emotions. But this time it just wouldn't come. She felt angry-at Thirteen, at Rachel, and most of all at herself. She scolded herself for thinking that she and Thirteen had something more than just a night together. For being scared at even considering it in the first place.

She drank the rest of her drink, and placed down her glass. She knew she drank it too fast, as she immediately felt herself get a little warm, and a little dizzy. Maybe the fact that she hadn't eaten her breakfast was a factor, but then, caring for sustenance was not in her current list of interests.

She turned to look for the bartender, only to find him attending to another customer a couple of seats away from her. He had just given her a drink, and she noticed that the woman was quite familiar. It was Rachel.

Rachel turned her head towards Cameron almost as soon as she saw her, and gave her a weak smile. The blonde just looked at her blankly for a few seconds, and then went on to call the bartender to order a drink.

"Look, Dr. Cameron," Rachel said, as she stood from her seat and walked over to the one besides Cameron. "I know what you thought you saw, and I know that it will be hard to believe what I will say to you now, but I did not sleep with Thirteen."

Cameron steered her eyes towards Rachel for a bit. "You really expect me to believe that?"

Rachel smirked slightly. "You really expect me to lie?"

"I don't even know you," Cameron answered, turning towards the woman this time. "You can't expect me to believe or not believe anything you say or do. I can only believe what I see. What I saw…"

The younger woman nodded her head in agreement. "Ok, point taken. What you saw today looked really bad from your point of view. If I were you, I would've reacted the same way. But I'm telling you now that whatever you think happened in that room, did not happen."

"How can I know you're not just—?"

"You'll believe because the last time the two of us had a conversation involving Remy, the two of you ended up getting together."

Cameron looked into Rachel's eyes, searching for any clue of a lie. There wasn't.

"My parents are police investigators, Dr. Cameron. I don't find lying all that useful and appealing," Rachel continued, which finally elicited a smile from the blonde woman.

"Ok, let's hear it," Cameron answered. Her guard was still up, as she still sounded hesitant, but Rachel knew this was as good a chance as she can get.

"Remy didn't even know I slept in her room last night."

Cameron's eyebrows became furrowed immediately. "What do you mean?"

"She left even before I did. I left with a different woman. One who happened to stay in the room right across Remy's. After our uhm, thing, I stepped out of the room…"

"Why did you leave?" Cameron asked; a hint of mockery was in her tone.

"Protocol," Rachel responded with a grin. "Anyway, as soon as I closed the door I heard her wake up, and since I knew I couldn't run to the elevator in time, I just hid in the first room I saw."

Cameron's eyes widened for a while, as she was trying to absorb the whole thing. It sounded simple enough, and it somehow explained how Thirteen seemed to mirror her surprise when they saw Rachel emerge from the bed.

"I don't have a way to actually prove that," Rachel said, as if able to read Cameron's thoughts. "But I hope you believe me. Remy doesn't deserve what she's obviously going through right now. You both don't."

Cameron's eyes met Rachel's and somehow understood that every word that she had just heard was true.

"Thank you, Rachel," Cameron said, pulling the younger woman into a brief hug. "Ok, I have something to do," she continued, pulling away from Rachel.

"Of course," Rachel exclaimed with a smile.

* * *

Thirteen had just gotten out of the shower, and was deciding on what to wear. The decision was ultimately related to another decision she then had to make, which was whether to attend the briefings for that day or not. She had not attended any since the first day, and she was sure that Cuddy would have her head if she isn't able to rally any information to the team when she gets back.

On the other hand, considering what had happened since the first day, it seemed like non-existing notes from the briefings was going to be the least of her problems when she gets back.

Deciding to skip the briefings for the second day in a row, she put on a shirt and a pair of pajamas and settled herself on her bed. She had just turned on the TV and was starting to get cozy when she heard a knock on her door.

"Just great," she growled, crawling her way off the bed.

"Who is it?" she called out as she walked to the door.

There was no answer.

She pulled the door open, and saw Cameron standing by the doorway. Her cheeks were a little red, but she looked different than when she left earlier that morning; she looked happy.

"Allison what are you—"

The brunette's words were interrupted by Cameron's lips which were hungrily laid upon Thirteen's, sparking an intense, passionate kiss. Thirteen immediately closed the door behind them and pushed the blonde against it, still continuing their kiss.

Cameron pulled away from their kiss after a few seconds and looked into Thirteen's eyes. "Sex or no sex, I don't ever want to see another woman on your bed, got that?"

"Got it," Thirteen responded with a flirtatious grin. She started kissing Cameron again, only to pull away moments later with a curious look on her face. "Have you been drinking?"

"Yes, is that a problem?" the blonde responded with a playful smile.

"Hmm no," Thirteen responded, kissing Cameron again.

* * *

**I hope this chapter did not come out lame. I just had the sudden urge ( that and the realization that I had free time) to write, and I just had to take it.**

**Just needed something, anything, settled. Decided to go with this.**

**How about continuing the hot scene... is that a go?  
**


	15. Sex or No Sex

_Ok, I know, I know, it's been months._

_I'm sorry. So many things have happened, I can't even begin to explain why the next update took this long._

_And this update, in my opinion, does not even deserve to be uploaded. It's too short, unfinished, unreviewed, and stuff. But it's been in my files for months now, and I haven't been able to add anything (yet) to it, so might as well give you what I got._

_I hope it still makes you happy, or something._

* * *

"Sex or no sex, I don't ever want to see another woman on your bed, got that?"

"Got it," Thirteen responded with a flirtatious grin. She started kissing Cameron again, only to pull away moments later with a curious look on her face. "Have you been drinking?"

"Yes, is that a problem?" the blonde responded with a playful smile.

"Hmm no," Thirteen responded, kissing Cameron again. "This definitely isn't one of the scenarios I've imagined before, but it's alright," she continued with a grin.

"You talk too much!" Cameron answered back, sticking her tongue into Thirteen's mouth. She broke away from the brunette's grip for a second, and then pulled off her top, revealing more of her flawless skin.

Thirteen licked her lips at the sight of Cameron's top hitting the floor, and immediately began kissing the blonde's neck, eliciting moans from the older woman. Her hands were almost automatically on Cameron's breasts, which were still concealed by her pink bra. She slowly slid her hands towards the blonde's back, and expertly unhooked the undergarment.

Cameron tilted her head back as she felt her bra slipping off her, the sensation of Thirteen's tongue running over her breasts immediately following. The brunette was going excruciatingly slow, and it was causing Cameron's skin to heat up excruciatingly quick.

"Oh god," Cameron moaned, as Thirteen gently sucked on her right nipple. Her hands were on the brunette's hair, gently pulling on them every once in a while when the sensation gets unbearable. The younger woman only grinned at Cameron's reaction to her touch, and continued giving the blonde's breasts some much deserved attention.

Soon after, Thirteen reached up again and kissed Cameron passionately on the lips. She felt the blonde tugging at her shirt, obviously trying to pull it off. "No," she said, taking the woman's hands away from her shirt and taking a good grip on her wrists. "This is about you," she said, a mischievous grin playing on her lips.

Thirteen continued kissing the older woman, this time on her smooth neck, while pinning Cameron's wrists right on top of her head. "Those hands better stay there," she continued, slowly letting them go. Cameron could only nod slowly, as she felt Thirteen's hands undoing her pants and pulling them down.

Shivers went up and down the blonde's spine as she felt Thirteen's mouth on her hips, the warm feeling of her breath intensifying the heat building up inside of her.

"Can we… Oh my god... move to the bed?" Cameron moaned, looking down at Thirteen, who by then had the fabric of the blonde's underwear in between her teeth. "I think my knees are going to buckle."

"Then let them," Thirteen immediately answered with a grin. The blonde, feeling helpless and yet totally overwhelmed by the brunette's touch, can only tilt her head back and bite her lips as Thirteen slowly slid off her panties and started kissing her inner thighs.

Later in the afternoon, Rachel sat by the hotel bar enjoying a cup of coffee and the satisfying feeling of not attending the last briefing for the day, when she saw both Thirteen and Cameron, obviously glowing, walking towards her.

"Well look at you two," she remarked towards the two women with a very excited smile. "So this is you, huh?"

Thirteen glanced at the blonde woman beside her, obviously mesmerized. "Yeah, I guess this is us." Cameron looked back at her as she said this and smiled lovingly.


	16. No Absolution

Hey, what's up? :)

* * *

Thirteen adjusted herself, almost nervously, on her seat. She was leaning forward and was resting arms on the table before her.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to exhale her anxiety away.

It was 6 in the morning and she was in the diagnostics room, alone. It had been a week since the conference in Boston, and it was her first day back at work. She hadn't told Chase about what happened. She hadn't told anyone.

She hadn't thought about how, when, or whether she was going to tell anyone at all.

Just as she was starting to relax, she heard the door open followed by a voice all too familiar.

"Hey, you're back!"

She opened her eyes and saw her colleague looking at her cheerily. She returned the smile with a weak one.

"You don't look so thrilled. Is everything alright?" Chase continued as he pulled a chair a few feet from Thirteen's and took a seat. The genuine concern in his voice made Thirteen even more anxious than she was earlier.

_"Ugh this is why I don't make friends. Concern sucks!" _she thought to herself, pinching her own hand as she braced herself to try and act normally.

"Yeah, still getting back into the routine, I guess" she answered, trying to look as nonchalant as she can. Chase appeared to have bought the answer, as he simply smirked and turned himself towards the direction of the coffee machine. "Maybe some coffee will cheer you right up!" he said, standing up and heading towards the appliance.

Thirteen looked at him almost pitifully, and knew fully that she could not let Chase remain uninformed about what had happened.

"Chase?"

"Yeah?"

"We need to talk."

Chase stopped moving for a second and turned to Thirteen while still holding the two coffee mugs he had just taken out of the cupboard.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

Thirteen swallowed, again feeling like she was bracing herself and was waiting for something to explode. "Something happened."

"What happened?" Chase asked again, carefully putting the coffee mugs beside the coffee machine. He took one step closer towards Thirteen.

Thirteen took one look at the floor before looking back up again at Chase. The guy who, when she last saw, had identified their relationship as being friends. The guy who asked her to attend the conference instead of him because he was uncomfortable seeing his ex-wife.

The guy who used to be the husband of the woman she was in a relationship with at that very moment.

"Something happened in Boston, Chase."


	17. Confession

**Hi guys! Just want to express how nice it is to be back and see that this community is still as alive as ever I plan on continuing and hopefully finishing this story, so I hope you'll stay tuned. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chase stopped moving for a second. It had hit him.

"Does this have something to do with Allison?"

Thirteen suddenly wondered if Chase was as good as House when it comes to reading people. She looked straight at Chase and let out a big breath before answering what she knew was the first of her dreaded string of questions.

"Yes."

Thirteen hadn't exactly planned on how to go around telling Chase, but she knew that the longer she waited the worse it will get. She thought of how to best tell the story: from the beginning, backwards, or just the bare details. But then again, it probably wouldn't make that much of a difference in the end.

"Well," Chase started again, pacing backwards to reach for the coffee mugs then walking to his seat. "Are you going to tell me what it is exactly that happened? Is she married? Is she pregnant? Is she sick?"

Thirteen smiled weakly at her teammate. Considering the scenarios Chase was already brewing in his mind, what she was about to tell him would surely catch him off-guard.

"We saw each other at the conference," she started, going for the "from the beginning" approach. She figured it was best that she explained how everything unfolded. The last thing she needs is Chase thinking that it was all some senseless affair.

"Aaaand?" Chase answered, obviously getting impatient with Thirteen's slow responses. He was not excited by the whole thing and already had a sense that whatever Thirteen was about to tell him was not in his favor. Thirteen sensed this, and knew that it was time to let the flood gates open. It was time to rip off the bandage.

"We're together now, Chase," Thirteen then blurted out. "Allison and I are in a relationship."

Chase's face furrowed but he did not make a sound. He stared at Thirteen for a few seconds, and then at the hall outside.

"It just happened. We did not plan this" Thirteen continued, careful not to approach the man. She leaned forward, as if trying to steer Chase's stare back to her. Coming into the conversation, she did not think much about dealing with Chase's reaction. But now, she knew to herself she cared how he'd react. "Chase, please say something."

Chased turned back to her, his stare still devoid of emotion. "Thanks for telling me," he then answered, his tone almost robotic. After his answer he stood up and headed for the door, leaving Thirteen confused.

Thirteen ran her fingers through her hair, thinking her next step through as she watched Chase walk to the direction of the locker room. She thought about what would happen if she left things as they are now, and figured that it would only lead to more complications. Knowing what she should do next, she stood up and followed Chase.

She saw Chase sitting on the bench in front of his locker, staring at the floor. She stood a few feet away from him, just enough so she was sure he knew of her presence.

"Chase," she started again, not really sure what to say next.

"What are you expecting me to say?" Chase answered, trying to keep himself together. "That I'm happy for you?" he continued, turning to Thirteen. "Is that it?"

"No, we just didn't want you to find out from someone else," Thirteen answered. She took another step then sat on the same bench Chase was in, but still a few feet away.

Chase scoffed. "And by 'we' you mean you and Allison, right?" he said, shaking his head lightly.

Thirteen set her eyes on the floor. Being like this is not her style. She was so used to not giving a shit about what people thought about her actions, even when she was wrong. For a while she thought about just leaving things as they were, but she got reminded of Cameron. She knew that if she and Cameron were to have any chance of being together, clearing things up with Chase was the first step.

"How can you do this to me?" he asked. The tone of his voice had changed from anger to defeat. "You knew. You knew I still have feelings for her."

Thirteen knew that an answer like 'it just happened' wasn't going to be good enough. She had to explain herself to him, somehow, no matter how the details may hurt.

"I did not have any intention of even interacting with her, but it happened. It did not mean anything at first; it was all for the sake of being social. I did not even realize how I was feeling when I was with her until it was already out there. And by then, it was too late."

"And you just forgot that the reason you were there in the first place was to serve as the substitute to her ex-husband, who is supposed to be your friend!?"

"I did not forget that," Thirteen answered, her arms now resting on her thighs, her fingers digging into her hair. "Those facts were in my thoughts throughout the entire thing."

Chase laughed softly, his sarcasm imminent. "But what? Your libido got the better of you?"

Thirteen shot up upon hearing the statement. "Don't you dare think of it like that! Look, Chase, let me clear that the only reason I am remotely sad about this is because I know how it will affect you. But I am in no way sorry. I am not sorry for falling for Allison. This is not just about sex. I lo-"

"You what? You love her? Is that it?" Chase interrupted. "You attend a medical conference with her for several days and now you're in love with her?"

"You're right, Chase." Thirteen answered, her voice now relaxed. "That might be ridiculous. But I know that as early as now, I care for her enough to know that I am willing to take your shit for it."


	18. Confliction

**Hi guys, I'm taking advantage of the holidays here by posting another chapter. Not sure if I can do shortly after this. It may take some time.**

**Thanks to those who sent in their reviews. Feedback is of course, something that is always appreciated. You can either post them here or send them over to me via Twitter ( somuchfordepth).**

**See you around, guys!**

* * *

"Take my shit?" Chase responded, the tone of his voice rising up again. "Me reacting to the fact that my friend is with my ex-wife counts as shit now?"

Thirteen ran her fingers through her hair, gripping it tightly as if punishing herself. She said the wrong thing and she knew it.

"That's not what I meant," she started again, keeping in mind to keep herself collected. "You have a right to be mad, Chase, and I'm willing to endure your anger and deal with it with you."

"Of course," Chase responded, sooner than Thirteen had expected. He stood up and grabbed his coat which was beside him. "It's easier to take shit from people you don't care about."

And with that, the surgeon walked out of the room, leaving Thirteen still sitting on the bench. She wasn't sure if things went good or bad. But she was sure things weren't over.

* * *

"So? What happened?" Cameron asked, handing the carton cup filled with noodles to Thirteen. They were in Cameron's apartment, having Chinese food for dinner while watching TV. The genuine concern in her voice made Thirteen feel a little bit guilty, especially since she knew that what she was about to report wasn't exactly the best case scenario.

"He was upset, as expected. He skipped all the differentials and chose to do clinic hours the entire day," Thirteen replied, trying to look busy with her chopsticks. She didn't want Cameron to think she was worried about dealing with Chase.

Cameron sighed. "Should we be worried?" she asked, as if reading what was on Thirteen's mind.

"I don't think so," the younger woman answered, unsure to herself if it was the truth but sure that it was the appropriate answer. "I'll deal with him. It might not be easy, but I'm sure he will come around sooner or later."

Thirteen's answer seemed to have comforted Cameron, as the blonde answered with a tender smile and a quick kiss. "Just please Remy, no fighting, ok? I want everything to go as smoothly as possible."

"You got it, boss."

An hour later, the empty food cartons on the coffee table were joined by a bottle of wine and two half-empty wine glasses. The Game of Thrones episode they were watching had just ended. The credits were rolling, but both women seemed to have their eyes glued to the TV screen.

Thirteen, with her right arm already around Cameron, started slowly caressing the blonde's arm. The sexual tension between them has been building up even before dinner, but it seemed like they were both gauging each other and were keeping themselves from making a move.

Cameron tensed up a little as she felt the brunette's soft skin against hers. She had been aching to be with Thirteen all day, and the wine they drank did not help turn that feeling down.

"This is nice," Thirteen commented, kissing the top of Cameron's head.

Cameron turned her head towards the younger woman, meeting her gaze. "Yeah, it is."

Thirteen looked into Cameron's eyes, and felt thousands of thoughts rush into her head simultaneously.

_What if this doesn't work? What if she goes back to Chase? Or House even? I'm dying in a few years. What am I even doing? Is this really worth all the trouble it's gonna cause?_

The questions kept rushing into the brunette's head, only for them to dissolve all at once when she felt the blonde's lips on hers.

The kiss felt different from their first one, and Thirteen noticed it instantly. It felt like a kiss from someone she hadn't been with for a very long time. Like it was full of longing.

Their kiss soon grew more intense, and as it did Cameron leaned back to the right side of the sofa, until she was lying down and Thirteen was on top of her. The blonde broke the kiss and smiled at the younger woman on top of her.

"I've been waiting for this since dinner," she said, eliciting a smile from Thirteen.

"I've been waiting for this all day!" the brunette responded, resuming the kiss. The kiss felt so good for Thirteen it was almost intoxicating. She moved her hand into Cameron's tanktop, settling her palm on the blonde's stomach. Cameron responded to the touch with a soft moan, which Thirteen took as a permission to go further. She took her hand higher, touching the older woman's ribs, and then further up to her breasts.

The blonde moaned again, louder than when she did a few seconds before. Thirteen then started caressing the woman's breast, her other hand already moving towards the same location. This time, however, instead of just putting her hand inside the blonde's top, she pulled the fabric up.

The motion caused Cameron's clothing to rise up entirely, exposing her breasts. Thirteen was unable to resist the exposure and almost immediately began kissing the blonde's right breast. She ran her tongue along to woman's soft skin, which caused Cameron's body to heat up. Another moan, again louder than the one before it, escaped the blonde woman's lips as Thirteen's tongue swirled around her nipple, going excruciatingly slow as she does it.

Cameron's hands were no less busy as they were already inside Thirteen's shirt, clawing the brunette's back. She couldn't help but close her eyes in pleasure as the brunette trailed down her stomach with kisses, outlining the edge of her boxer shorts.

Thirteen raised her head for a little bit, enjoying the view of Cameron fully enjoying her touch. Cameron, on the other hand, noticing that the brunette had stopped, opened her eyes and looked her lover, who was staring back at her contentedly.

Without saying a word, Thirteen then pulled on Cameron's boxer shorts, leaving the blonde fully naked except for her tanktop which was only barely on her anymore. Putting the shorts on the floor, she then raised Cameron's right leg, just so it was near her eye-level, and started kissing it slowly, moving downwards as she went. The blonde closed her eyes again, overwhelmed by the soft sensations that were slowly crawling up her leg.

Thirteen continued towards Cameron's thighs, trying to fight her own excitement. She further slowed down her movements as she came closer to Cameron's center. She took one last look at the blonde woman who was obviously dying of anticipation before going in.

Cameron had to bite her lip to keep herself from shouting as she felt Thirteen's tongue on her moist slit. She was going really slowly, and it made Cameron feel like she wanted to explode. She spread her legs a little more to give Thirteen better access, an action which seemed to make the brunette even more eager than she already was. The younger woman zoomed in on the blonde's clit, slowly increasing in speed.

Not long after, Cameron felt the all too familiar sensations building up inside of her in tremendous speed, causing her legs to shake almost involuntarily. Thirteen felt it as well, and instantly reacted by sucking on Cameron's clit. The sensation brought the older woman to the edge, and she felt what was possibly one of the biggest orgasms she had ever experienced.

"Oh.. my.. gosh!" Cameron said breathlessly, as she tried to pull Thirteen up. The brunette followed her gestures, facing the older woman with a smug smile.

"Don't smile at me like that!" Cameron said playfully, running her fingers on the brunette's wet chin. "It's my turn."

* * *

The next morning, Thirteen, Taub, and Chase were sitting in the table inside the diagnostics office when House came in a little more cheery than Thirteen had hoped. A cheery House meant a higher likelihood of the doctor's observations and remarks - the very things she was trying to avoid especially since she was wearing Cameron's clothes to work, after ending up staying at her place after the previous night's activities.

"Morning kids!" House quipped, walking towards the table. Thirteen immediately opened up the patient file in front of her to find something to say about the case. Anything to keep House from commenting about her clothes.

"29-year-old single mother, convulsed on her own driveway last night, ER said no history of epilepsy or any neurological conditions, and she has rashes all over her arms," she started, looking at Taub and House every once in a while as she spoke. She did not bother looking at Chase, as she had already seen earlier on his disapproving looks at her wardrobe. Clearly, he knew they were Cameron's.

House looked at the three doctors and studied their current state. Taub was obviously on board with the case, staring at the case file with his eyebrows furrowed and his lips a little pouted. Thirteen, on the other hand, was staring the case file but was clearly thinking of something else. Lastly, Chase was looking at Thirteen and shaking his head ever so slightly, as if disgusted. By then, he already had a clear idea of what had happened.

"Thirteen!" He exclaimed, startling Taub and Thirteen. "I remembered you haven't reported back on what you learned in Boston."

The brunette opened her mouth to respond, but to her horror, no words came out. She looked at Taub, who only shrugged at her, before being able to look back at House. "I-I'll schedule a sharing session this week," she answered, her statement sounding more like a question than a declaration.

"Great!" House responded, a suspicious grin forming on his face. "We'd like to hear all about it!"

Thirteen's slightly nervous nods to House made Taub wonder what was up. He looked at his colleague and tried to observed her demeanor. "Are those new clothes?" he asked.

At that moment Thirteen felt like he wanted to stab Taub with a scalpel.

"No, they're not," Chase butted in, even before Thirteen can answer. "They're Cameron's."


	19. Reunion

What's up? This one's short, but hopefully it works for now.

* * *

"Now that's something worthy of a sharing session," House said, chuckling.

Thirteen's eyes went straight to Chase's, then to Taub's. Her mind was racing, thinking of something to say.

"I.."

House raised his eyebrows at her, looking on cheerily, and obviously enjoying the awkward situation. "I'm guessing your laundry got mixed up when you were with her in Boston?"

"You were with Cameron during the conference?" Taub said, not being able to keep himself from butting in. He immediately regretted the decision when he saw Thirteen looking daggers at him.

Thirteen was still searching her mind for a good lie to get out of the situation, but to no avail. She thought of what Cameron would do, and found the best answer she can come up with.

"Cameron and I are together now."

Chase rolled his eyes as he stood up. "I'm going to the clinic," he said, heading for the door. Thirteen followed him with her eyes, and when he was out of sight, she looked at House. His smile has faded.

"What…" Taub started again, looking at the patient's file awkwardly. He slowly raised his head towards Thirteen. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," the woman answered with a hint of a smile. She turned back to House who was looking at her blankly, and sneered at him.

"Taub, go follow Chase," House said, his eyes locked on Thirteen. Taub let out a sigh and then made his way out of the room, making eye contact with Thirteen as he walked through the hall. Thirteen knew that meant he wanted details.

"So I assume you've prepared a presentation to share as to how this all happened," House started again, with a tone that made it hard to tell if he was kidding or not.

"Yeah, right, like you're actually surprised," Thirteen answered. House turned towards his office and motioned for Thirteen to follow. The younger doctor stood up and entered the office, collapsing lazily on the chair in front of House's table.

"Just because I'm not surprised doesn't mean I don't want to know what happened," he finally responded, his eyes glued to his laptop. "But before that…"

House turned his laptop to face the screen towards Thirteen, and the young woman saw a picture of herself with Rachel in one of the briefings during the Boston conference.

"I checked all photos taken, and I did not find a single picture of you with Cameron. However, I did find this," he continued, grinning and pointing at Rachel. "Who is she?"

Thirteen squinted her eyes, trying to look uninterested. "Hm, some woman I met. I thought you were more interested on how Alison and I got together?"

"Really? You're driving this conversation to something that obviously means something to you than to talk about a woman you just met?" House answered. The way he was looking at her as he was trying to figure it out annoyed Thirteen to no end. It was like watching a Discovery Channel host talk about an ongoing slaughter of a buffalo.

"Come on," House went on again. "Did you sleep with her? Did Cameron sleep with her? Did you both sleep with her? Did you all slee-"

"No, sorry," Thirteen answered. "She's just someone I met."

"And by met, you mean?"

"Just talked. For a few minutes. Then we separated, and moved on, _like normal human beings_," Thirteen answered, growing both irritated and worried. This interest on Rachel felt so misplaced that she felt like she was missing something.

"If that's the case, then you might not be normal," House answered, his eyes set on something outside his office.

Thirteen turned and saw Rachel standing outside.


End file.
